Ah, Couture Week. The week of dreams. The week of fantasy frocks most mere mortals can salivate over than ever have the pleasure of slipping into. The week where Russian oligarchs wives and Arab princesses are chauffeured from show-to-show in their classy Mercedes E Class convertible whilst speed-dial ordering Looks 1-36 from the previous one. That smell? Obscene wealth.

Without a shadow of a doubt the two hottest tickets at last week's Fall 2012 couture shows were Raf Simon's debut for Christian Dior and Dolce and Gabbana's debut couture collection which was showcased over an ultra-exclusive 3-day Sicilian bender.

Simon's Dior efforts were a triumph; gone was the frothy, exotic playfulness of Galliano, replaced by Simon's minimalist sensibilities yet the silhouettes remained resolutely Dior. That high-wasted 50's full skirt was in full swing as it sashayed out in full-length bustier gowns, tweed overcoats and peplumed blazers.

Dolce and Gabanna's romantic, debut couture collection, Alta Moda, was a love letter to Sicily. Tumbling hand-crafted tiers of handwoven lace, embroidered flowers, fluttered around the cloisters of a former monastery. Only a minute select press and VVVVIP's were in attendance, commanding an almost unheard of secrecy. Four women apparently fainted over the 3 days period: were the clothes that good or was it the stifling heat we ask?

Not quite so headlong-grabbing was Chanel's rather ho-hum, business-as-usual tweed-suit-a-thon (seriously, we're starting to believe Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel collections are a bit emperor's new clothes - why do they receive such consistent praise for being so painfully dull??) and Atelier Versace's flesh-flash fest: yeah, yeah, we get it: Medusa emblems, slashed-to-the-crotch gowns, and micro-minis.

Maison Martin Margiela never fail be be out-avant-garded and their inspired reconstructed tailcoats with antique door-knob closures along with intense vintage crystal embellishments made eco-chic actually chic for once.

Posted on July 16, 2012 at 9:38:27 by The Real Runway