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Decoding the Parisian style during Haute Couture Week January kicks off the season of the Fashion Weeks with some lush haute couture fashion shows in Paris. During the Paris Haute Couture Week, the beautiful streets of the grandiose city are filled with elaborate outfits, uberstylish fashion personalities and photographers chasing the best looks. TEXT: NOELIA SANTANA I PRESS PHOTOS
Haute couture is the summum of high-end fashion. In fact, it is so exclusive that in the whole world, its market consists of only an estimated 2,000 customers. The term Haute Couture only applies to certain houses and designers. Every year, they have to be approved by the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture to keep this prestigious label. Fashion houses like Chanel or Dior confirm their statuses year after year by creating shows that write unaltered fashion history. In 2015, Chanel’s famous guests sat and played poker in a casino while models paraded around them wearing the new collection. In 1998, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Dior’s head of design, created what must be one of the most spectacular fashion shows of all time. The show ended with all the models dressed in extraordinary couture lounging gracefully in the marble staircase of Opera 8 | Issue 11 | January 2020
Garnier with tissue-paper butterflies raining over them. The words luxurious, hand-sewn and innovative characterise all haute couture collections. For instance, in the last Valentino’s Fall Couture collection, a sleeveless gown in rose gauze squares took around 2,010 hours to be put together. Strictly opposed What: Haute Couture Spring-Summer Collections Where: Paris, France When: 20-23 January How: Fashion shows are generally invitation only. But that’s no reason to be put off. Get as close to the action as you can; the street style in the areas surrounding each event is just as powerful and inspiring as the catwalk.
to the ‘prêt-à-porter’ approach to fashion, Haute Couture is made to fit the client precisely. A piece of art that you can wear. With such creativity filling the streets of Paris, it is no wonder Parisians are known to have such an enviable sense of style and a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about them. If you are planning to visit Paris during the Haute Couture Week, you had better wear your best ensemble and prove that the French are not the only ones with style aplenty.
Gran Canaria-born, London-based Noelia Santana is wrapped in high fashion, from head to heel. As founder of Estilistas, she runs a digital one-stop-shop for fashion lovers and a personal styling platform for the masses. www.estilistas.co.uk