Spring/Summer 2025 Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris is in full swing — and it couldn't be more needed against the backdrop of an ongoing dreary January.
Schiaparelli kicked off the official schedule on Monday, with attendees including Kelly Rutherford, Carla Bruni, Regina King and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (AKA Sylvie from Emily In Paris). You can see the best celebrity style from the week here.
The four day event plays host to some of the most extraordinary fashion shows, reserved for VIPs and high-profile couture clients. Below, I'll take you through the best shows from the French capital so far.
Valentino
Alessandro Michele's couture debut for Valentino was certainly the most anticipated show of the week. Entitled 'Vertigineux' (meaning dizzy) models appeared on a black set, in front of digital screens emblazoned with revolving red words and phrases. Entering from the right, and pausing to stop on a yellow X mark, numbers flashed up on the screens behind them to indicate the looks, a modern take on the traditional couture show format. And what looks they were — voluminous, full skirt gowns in patchwork tulle, black satin and crochet lace. Michele's signature design codes were out in full force — his flamboyant use of colour, eccentric styling touches and vintage references all came together for this unique presentation
Viktor & Rolf
Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf will always bring a sense of humour to their shows, but for Spring 2025 this was somewhat pared back. Beige was used throughout the collection, on ruffled, crinkled and inflated trench coats. Bows also featured heavily, either as belted waist-ties or covering jackets, trousers and shirts entirely. One clever look featured a trench coat tied about the wearer's waist, with the arms of the jacket forming a giant bow. Elsewhere the colour palette was restricted to white and navy, with practical suit trousers and smart shirts imagined in the Viktor & Rolf way — plenty of texture, volume and drama.
Armani Privé
Armani Privé was launched in January 2005, which meant that Mr Armani's haute couture off-shoot turned 20 for Spring/Summer 2025. This season, the Armani woman was a citizen of the world, with a wardrobe that created an "unmistakable stylistic identity that spans continents and cultures". East Asian influences were rife throughout the collection, with delicate floral beading and embroidery, kimono-style satin wrap tops and obi waist belts. Luxurious silk crafted cropped jackets, maxi skirts and bustiers, so shiny the garments looked wet to the touch. With over 90 looks, this was a rich and opulent offering from the house of Armani.
Elie Saab
Elie Saab is synonymous with red carpet ready gowns, and this season was no different. Soft pastel colours were embellished with feathers, beads and crystals and accessorised with the house's debut haute couture handbag collection, designed by Marina Raphael. Draping was offset with sculptural flowers, boning and tassels, to create dramatic and feminine silhouettes.
Schiaparelli
Daniel Roseberry has headed up Schiaparelli since 2019, and bought the historic house (founded in 1927 by Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli) right into the present day. The label is known for its surrealist motifs, but for Spring 2025 these were kept to a minimum. Entitled 'Icarus' after the Greek myth, this season Roseberry wanted to push fashion and his couture craft further. Beige-gold tulle, lace and silk were used throughout the collection, on full peplum skirt gowns with bustiers and cut-out bodices. Sculptural silhouettes were constructed in beads, feathers and intricately pleated fabrics, as well as jacquard and velvet. Kendall Jenner emerged towards the end of the show in a heavily boned corset dress that redefined her body shape, proving that Roseberry is indeed top of his game.
Dior
The Dior Spring couture show was entitled 'The Flowers We Grew'. Womenswear creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri commissioned Indian artist Rithika Merchant to create an immersive artwork composed of nine paintings, which were then translated into into large-scale textile panels by Karishma Swali and her atelier at the Chanakya School of Craft, to serve as the backdrop for the show. Convening stories of womanhood across generations, the clothes then followed suite — wide hip bustles and full skirts in delicate tiered lace and broderie anglaise were juxtaposed against modern sleek overcoats and beaded A-line dresses. The collection mainly focussed on black and white, with some splashes of dove grey, light gold and blush pink. Models wore feathered mohican head-dresses by legendary milliner Stephen Jones, adding a punk element to the otherwise ladylike aesthetic.
Chanel
With newly appointed creative director Matthieu Blazy not started at Chanel until April, and won't present his first collection until October, the Spring 2025 Haute Couture collection was crafted by the house's internal Creation Studio. Colour was used in abundance, providing a much needed dopamine hit amongst other muted collections and celebrity looks in Paris. This was inspired by Mademoiselle Chanel herself, with the show notes reading that despite her notoriety being associated with her radical use of black, "she was also a great colourist. She worked with every colour of the spectrum, from blacks to whites, from the softest pastels to the most vivid tones." Rainbow pastels and sequins were applied to the house's signature tweeds, while frothy gowns were studded with flowers and silk shirts appeared in jewel tones. This was a collection that sparked some much needed joy.
Giambattista Valli
Bubble and puff-ball skirts have been trending for a while, so it was a delight to see them super-sized on the Giambattista Valli runway. Brown, red, pink and black luxurious satin skirts in heavily inflated and ruched silhouettes wafted down the runway. His Spring 2025 Couture collection was entitled 'Les Jardins de la Ménara' in homage to the historic gardens and orchard in Marrakesh. Fittingly, the clothes were an explosion of colour and embellishment, with plenty of floral motifs, bow accents and delicate beading.
