This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NYU chapter.

Dior

Maria Grazia Chiuri (MGC) did it again! In somewhat of a good way this time.

We have consistently seen the classic Dior blazer and tulle skirt pairing come down the runway for both ready-to-wear and couture for many seasons. This time, you get to see it again! I think high fashion enthusiasts can agree with me that Dior by MGC is getting tired and repetitive. It is the same Mediterranean-inspired collection each season. Though, there are certain aspects of her collections, certain silhouettes, that she displays to stay true to House Dior. One day I would love to see her reinvent these staples!

I will give her this, Dior under MGC sells. It sells really well, appealing to a majority of the commercial market. But as did her predecessor John Galliano, and he always managed to give the audience something different and interesting to look at each season, why can’t she?

Even though I started this critique with a tremendous amount of MGC slander, I did like some pieces from the collection. This upcoming Spring/Summer 2021 couture collection was inspired by tarot cards. This was a reference to Christian Dior (the founder of House Dior), as, before each show, Dior would have a tarot card reading. I loved how the pieces were more majestic rather than a superficial “pretty” this season. There were many elements, such as the embroideries, that caught my attention. I want to see more of this from her, and I also want to see her explore more ball gown silhouettes in the future.

There might still be hope for House Dior.

Chanel

Chanel under Virginie Viard is not the same as Chanel under Karl Lagerfeld—I think we all know this. Chanel belongs to Karl, forever and always. With that said, I think having a new designer step up to substitute Karl’s role and do it skillfully is genuinely a difficult task.

I will applaud Virginie for creating a Chanel that attempts to appeal to a younger audience. Trying to make tweed more appealing to younger generations is challenging. Tweed, often more so than not, ages a person.

This season, Virginie was inspired by weddings, how sweet—in concept. Her designs, however, were anything but that. I have to say, I have never been so confused about a collection in my entire life. I liked a few pieces, but again, Chanel, like Dior, looked too commercial for a COUTURE collection! I was perplexed by look number nine that came down the runway. Look number nine was a black minidress with sequins on the body and a sheer polka dot neckline. You would think she would stop there—to no avail. The dress also had a short, black, sheer, polka dot, tulle skirt on the backside, making it look as if the model had a tail. The look finishes off with white fishnet stockings and a pair of mary-janes. I would, perhaps, understand this dress if the theme was a said, disco party, but this is a wedding. So my question is, who is wearing this to a wedding? Personally, I would not be caught dead in that, but you know what, if someone with the means wants to purchase that dress, go for it.

Like Dior, Chanel is selling quite well. However, I believe that most sales come from accessories, which I think she does well, better than her clothing, but that’s a different story for another time.

Fendi

Please, for the love of Fendi, just let Silvia Venturini run women’s wear, please! This IS her House (No, really Google it). This collection is one of Kim Jones’s worst collections he has ever debuted. I think that Kim Jones is good at street style and menswear, but he should probably steer clear from womenswear.

This season, to debut his first Fendi couture collection, he invited top models (from Bella Hadid to Kate Moss to Cara Delevingne) onto his runway. But unfortunately, the clothing was dull…and tacky…None of the clothing was distinguishable enough to be considered Fendi. You can have as many famous models walk your runway, but it won’t sell if the clothing does not look good. Maybe there was a good reason Karl Lagerfeld did not have a couture spring/summer show for Fendi. I think it is rather difficult to come up with a couture show for the spring/summer seasons when your house staple is fur.

One piece from the collection that I can’t unsee (not in a good way) is the silver “mother of the bride” dress that Kate Moss wore. I didn’t think that you can make Kate Moss look bad in clothing, but this came close. I love fashion because fashion is a form of self-expression. What you wear conveys a message to the onlooker, and what this dress said to me was, “I got this off the sales rack at Nordstrom.”

Having thrown shade at the top fashion houses, I will now provide a list of designers that, in my opinion, did extremely well this season:

Armani Privé

Giorgio Armani will always be relevant in fashion. You can’t change my mind.

Giambattista Valli

Please bury me in Giambattista Valli when I die. Thank you.

Iris Van Herpen

The Queen of 3D printing can do no wrong.

Schiaparelli

Besides the Kim Kardashian social media roast, comparing her couture Schiaparelli to the Hulk, this collection was beautiful beyond words.

Viktor & Rolf

The first piece of this collection is what I am wearing to Mars.

Rahul Mishra

I usually dislike mushrooms, but this collection makes me want to be reincarnated as beautiful colorful fungi in my next life.

AREA

I am asking my sugar daddy to buy me every piece from this collection. (I’m kidding; I don’t have a sugar daddy.)

If you want more high fashion reviews, follow me on TikTok @rens.nyc! :)

Review of Spring/Summer 2021 Couture