Naomi Campbell and more: 10 top looks from Paris Haute Couture
Live from Paris, The Globe's Amy Verner picks her top looks from the runways of Paris Haute Couture
Atelier Versace kicked off the Haute Couture shows at Fashion Week on a sexy, self-confident note.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press
Credit the reappearance of Naomi Campbell – and a collection revealing as much as (if not more than) it concealed.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press
Giambattista Valli’s fifth couture collection drew inspiration from porcelain – a logical progression given that his appliqué work looks the kind of fragile floral blooms you’d find in a ceramic museum. The electric yellow garland cascading down one shoulder was a modern touch.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press
The collection’s strongest message could be found in the subtle complexity of the fabrics. Most of the tweed suits were actually embroidered (versus woven). Karl Lagerfeld also made a case for squared-off boater caps as the new baseball hat.CHARLES PLATIAU/Reuters
Some of the workmanship was more outwardly visible. The geometric mosaic motif on this tunic is composed of tiny panels folded like origami.CHARLES PLATIAU/Reuters
Working almost exclusively within a pale, barely-there palette, Giorgio Armani’s collection was coherent and classically beautiful. At times, it evoked Gatsby-era glamour (which, for some, might feel played out). But it’s hard to find fault with this gown.CHARLES PLATIAU/Reuters
Jean Paul Gaultier had feline femme fatales in mind this season. Highlights included Catwoman-style jumpsuits with cone-shaped side pockets, short party dresses covered in tubular satin quilting and feathers that had been cut to mimic animal spots (for cougars with class).GONZALO FUENTES/Reuters
Maison Martin Margiela’s Collection Artisanal rethinks the notion of haute couture by reworking and integrating vintage pieces while layering in esoteric references. Would you have guessed that this cropped, cabochon-encrusted gilet and mask replicate the bust of Chopin? Also, two words: couture jeans.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
Dutch designer Iris van Herpen pushes the boundaries of material innovation, often introducing elements that seem otherworldly or unsettling. This is one of her more wearable designs, a second-skin dress with protruding bits that look like extensions of the body.Michel Euler/The Associated Press
Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli considered how to translate a “wunderkammer” (cabinet of curiosities) into a couture collection and ended up building eclectic motifs of flora and fauna onto rich, aristocratic cashmere and herringbone. It was a regal wardrobe for off-duty and ceremony alike.CHARLES PLATIAU/Reuters
Paris-based Canadian designer Rad Hourani once again showed a strong collection of precisely cut, layered, transformable pieces that are entirely unisex. His most daring departure for Fall was to introduce inky blue into his usual palette of black and white.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press