With New York Fashion Week starting, I wanted to share some of my favorite shows from Spring 2019 Couture Week. If you aren’t familiar with the term, haute couture (as defined by Business of Fashion) refers to the following: “ Translated literally, couture is French for dressmaking, while haute means high. These are garments created as one-off pieces for a specific client.” This season the shows were all very unique, yet some stood out to me more than others. Here are my top 5 favorite Spring 2019 Couture shows!
Givenchy
I love Givenchy to begin with, and after watching the couture show on IGTV I love them even more! I personally enjoy garments that are sleek, structured, and a mix of classic/chic, and the pieces from this show checked off all of those boxes! An example of this is with the opening look, worn by Adut Akech Bior, that consists of a tailored black and white jacket, skin-tight leather pants/leggings, and black heels. The sharp tailoring of the jacket is amazing, the pants fit her perfectly, and the look as a whole walking down the runway looks stunning. The rest of the collection follows suit, with more sharp tailoring, bits of color shown throughout, and garments that are the epitome of chic.
Iris van Herpen
From here, we move onto a show with a lot more color involved. Iris van Herpen is a Dutch designer who was one of the first to utilize 3D printing for making garments. I absolutely love this collection because each piece is so intricate and eye-catching. My favorite looks from the show were the ones with thin black & white lines outlining the colored garments, but it’s really hard to choose a favorite when they’re all so intricate and beautiful. This collection is the epitome of unique and innovative, I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Antonio Grimaldi
I love how Antonio Grimaldi utilized a variety of cuts and fabrics to form these pieces; he made them each different & abstract, yet wearable for the consumer. This collection is so focused on the attention to detail and overall structure of the garments, it proves that it’s simple details (such as adding tiny feathers, beading, or draping the fabric a certain way around the neck) that often make the largest impact in embellishing an outfit.
Elie Saab
With the drapery, structure, and signature use of sequins, it’s pretty easy to recognize an Elie Saab gown. This collection was a pleasing mix of classic “Elie Saab” while also incorporating 2019 trends such as tie-dye and the sea with the use of sparkles appearing as coral and seafoam. This collection is absolutely gorgeous! It was so difficult for me to narrow down my favorite looks to 4, so just a few of my favorites are pictured above!
Valentino
Lastly: Valentino; and what a show to finish with. Valentino’s collection screamed spring with the floral prints used throughout, but contrary to Miranda Priestley’s remark in The Devil Wears Prada, in my opinion, these were groundbreaking due to the construction of the garments themselves (some actually resembling flowers!). The entire collection was a mixture of bold and whimsical, incorporated pretty much every color in the rainbow, and was like no other show at Spring 2019 Couture Week. Even the makeup was so artistic, with many models having feathers attached to their eyelashes. This collection is so amazing pictures alone don’t do it justice, but actually watching it on Youtube will show you just how beautiful it is.
These were my favorite shows from Spring 2019 Couture Week! With Couture Week done, and Copenhagen Fashion Week finishing up last week, I’m even more excited to see what comes out of this season’s New York Fashion Week. To view the Couture collections in full, and keep up with NYFW, make sure to check out Vogue Runway!