Most ‘Grammable Look
The Viktor & Rolf show marked the duo’s quarter century, with 25 of their greatest hits reimagined in white. But while it closed with the biggest power shoulders in history (a jacket from their ‘99 Russian Doll), the biggest headline grabber was a duvet dress complete with pillows. Not least because the show fell on the last day of Couture Week and, franky, we were all a bit tired.
Landmark Shoe
Couture Week gatecrasher Vetements makes our list due to those upside-down Eiffel Tower heels. The label is known for its quirky heels such as Bic lighters and bicycle lights. “It’s a Vetements trick to redesign a shoe,” Demna Gvasalia told us. “We bought them here in Paris. They are keyrings — very cheap ones.”
Most Unexpected #MeToo Moment
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With coed shows dominating the Men’s Fashion Week season, maverick designer Jean Paul Gaultier made a stand for the male contingent and put boys on his Couture Week runway. Both sexes wore his signature androgynous tailoring and puffed on electric cigarettes — a cheeky play on Le Smoking.
The Masks at Schiaparelli
The invitations for Rick Owens’ men’s show were printed on black cyclist’s anti-pollution masks, but this is Couture Week. The Schiaparelli models wore sublime headpieces created by milliner Stephen Jones involving a winged lion’s head, toucan-flamingo hybrid and gold bunny rabbit. The bunny fell over on the runway.
Best Connected Shoe
John Galliano affixed iPhones on miniature selfie-sticks to his footwear that livestreamed close-ups of the looks at which they were directed. Shoe looks involved silicone dipped platforms, latex-brushed tabis and tabi-style Mary Janes.
Fendi’s Futurist Footwear
These kinetic pumps fused tradition with innovation. Uppers were embossed in glossy layers of thermoplastic to mimic marble, malachite and mother-of-pearl, while lampshade silhouette heels came stacked in a combination of organic and man-made materials like maple wood, Perspex and horn.
Next-Level Louboutins
Christian Louboutin showed his spring ’19 collection during Couture Week but also took the opportunity to showcase a series of special order “couture” styles handmade in his Paris atelier for elite private clients. Most beautiful was a 130-millimeter heeled pump with oversize hand-sculpted spikes shooting like flames from the rear. They were hand-painted in gold leaf and inlaid with strass.
