Highlights from couture fashion week S/S 21

This is now the second entirely digital couture fashion week, and designers have continued to amaze us with their creative methods of presenting their gowns.

Couture spring/summer 2021 has shown that whilst it may seem traditional in nature, haute couture is at the forefront of modernity, with brands stretching the boundaries of what we believed could be possible.

We have seen a variety of unique ways in which fashion houses have chosen to showcase their latest collections – from brides riding horses onto the runway at Chanel to Dior’s tarot-card fantasy world – capturing the hearts of fashion aficionados worldwide.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

Table of Contents

Dior

“Tarot cards are among the keys to accessing the magical realm, to explore the unknown while fearlessly looking deep inside oneself,” says Maria Grazia Chiuri – a sentiment that speaks to her latest haute couture collection.

Chiuri stunned viewers across the globe with her tarot-card themed collection, where she showcased the beauty of each garment through tarot characters, with illustrations by the Roman artist Pietro Ruffo. From the playful joker to the captivating magician, Dior exhibited strength and femininity through its gowns, proving once again that haute couture goes far beyond the traditional runway.

See the full collection here.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

Chanel

Although we weren’t able to physically attend any runways this couture fashion week, Virginie Viard made sure audiences were able to appreciate the magic of a couture runway. Romance was ever-present throughout this collection right from the very first vivid pink gown that opened the show, which was paired with a classic Chanel tweed – a lesson in Parisienne perfection.

And how could we not appreciate the magic of a bride riding onto the runway atop a white horse? Moments such as this are a testament to the magical potential of couture.

See the full collection here.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

Iris van Herpen

Iris van Herpen’s signature silhouettes are back. At the last couture fashion week, the designer presented only one perfectly laser-cut dress, due to the restrictions of the pandemic. However, this season she exhibited a range of different gowns, from deep red tones to silver metallics.

See the full collection here.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

Fendi

It was Kim Jones’ debut couture collection for Fendi, and fans were not left disappointed, with iconic faces such as Demi Moore, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Bella Hadid storming the catwalk.

Drawing inspiration from Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, Jones’ metallic and blue gowns were a perfect blend of modernity and timeless Italian design.

Fendi is always praised for the casting at its shows, and S/S 21 couture was no exception; as Jones said: “The importance of family – both real and chosen – is celebrated through the cast who model the collection.”

See the full collection here.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

Schiaparelli

Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry has been at the forefront of the fashion industry over the past year, most recently dressing Lady Gaga for the Biden inauguration.

This season, the designer focused on unique shapes and designs, challenging the delicate lace designs we so often see in couture and daring to ask: “Who says this is what couture has to be?” This collection, with its exaggerated female silhouettes and traditional embroidery mark it as one that will not be forgotten for seasons to come.

See the full collection here.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

Valentino

In a breathtaking display at the Galeria Colonna in Rome, Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his latest couture collection, filled with brilliant golds and vivid pinks.

“The rituals, the process, and the values of Couture are timeless. They celebrate the human: the mind that conceives and the hand that creates and gives value.”

Piccioli’s designs offer the luxury and opulence that so many of us have been missing since the start of the pandemic, absorbing the audience into the fantasy world of Valentino haute couture.

View the full collection here.

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article

31/31 SLIDES

Tags: Couture, fashion, Highlights, week

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30