Couture week in Paris is always full of creativity and incredible fashion and 2018 did not disappoint. below are my top five favorite shows.

First up we have Giambattista Valli who delivered a show full of gorgeous fabric manipulations and femininity. Based on the nature depicted in the book The Wild Garden and a special emphasis put on beauty, the garments focused on elegant and romantic draping techniques as well as delicate, hand crafted appliqué. The final gowns each utilized 350 meters of fabric on their own. I am certain we will be seeing some of these gowns on red carpets during upcoming award show seasons. 

See the full collection here. 

Claire Waight Keller's takeover of Givenchy has been seemingly effortless. For this step back in to couture for the brand, she wanted the focus to be on bringing femininity into the art of tailoring while staying true to Hubert de Givenchy's original vision for the brand. She also cited inspiration from the idea of walking through a garden at night and the "idea of the moonlight catching the dresses." Overall, I think her first couture collection for Givenchy, although not perfect, was definitely a success. 

See the full collection here. 

Maison Margiela's main focus for this show was technology and the way we see things in the real world versus through technology. This idea resulted in a truly innovative show. Before the show began, Galliano asked that all photographs be taken with flash and the reason why quickly became evident. Many of the garments looked one way to the naked eye and completely different in a photograph. Below are a couple of examples:

Without Flash ||| With Flash

Without Flash ||| With Flash

As for the styling of the looks, Galliano was inspired by "dressing in haste," as he describes it. The overall impression was a sort of sporty casualness and spontaneity that could only have resulted from hours of meticulous planning by Galliano himself. 

See the full collection here. 

Christian Dior is a brand that never fails to impress and this collection was no exception. Surrealist symbolism served as the inspiration behind this particular collection as well as the sudden takeover of Hollywood's #MeToo movement and the demand for black awards season attire. When asked the #MeToo movement and the expectations on women on red carpets, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was quoted as saying, "We have to think about dreaming. In a way, it [haute couture] is our business. But if you never dream, you don't think that something negative can change." Thus resulting in many looks involving structured pantsuits followed by gowns covered in feathers and sequins. 

See the full collection here.

Last, but not least, we have Valentino. In this collection, Pierpaolo Piccioli really let loose with clashing colors and feathers. Piccioli managed to make a huge statement with this collection and seemingly break boundaries in hate couture. He proved that couture doesn't have to be stereotypical princess gowns but can also be trousers and opera coats. He also managed to genuinely incorporate all of this season's biggest trends without it coming across as forced: sheer fabrics, feathers, clashing patterns, and clashing colors all made appearances on this runway. Overall this collection was full of wonderful contradictions; over the top extravagance and a very cool casual vibe.

See the full collection here. 

Hope you enjoyed!