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The Best Spring/Summer 2022 Paris Haute Couture Collections
February 05, 2022
2022-02-05
Last week, Paris hosted its annual spring/summer haute couture week. The city's most prestigious fashion houses presented their latest collections, setting forth the new look for the upcoming year. And they did not disappoint! Although haute couture is an exclusive market that not a lot of people can get into nor afford, it remains a purveyor of new trends, emerging fads, and the like. Lots of celebrities, social media influencers, and more from around the world even traveled all the way to the French capital just to catch a glimpse of the newest fashions. And these were the collections that stood out the most!
The prestigious house of Schiaparelli, which was resurrected a little less than a decade ago, has always been one of the stand-out shows every haute couture week. And this spring/summer 2022 season is no exception. Inspired by the space-age fantasies shown in films like 'Dune' (2021), 'Interstellar' (2014), and 'Arrival' (2016), creative director Daniel Roseberry presented an elegant look into futuristic fashion. Think wide-brim hats that shade practically the entire body, exaggerated shapes that provide a sculptural view of the female form, and high-quality corsetry that provide attention-grabbing shapes. All the avant-garde details are definitely forward-looking, but the black, white, and gold color scheme are as classically French as ever.
Source: Schiaparelli YouTube Channel
Jean Paul Gaultier
Ever since Jean Paul Gaultier exited his own haute couture house back in 2020, various designers have taken up the helm to continue his indelible legacy. This season, Y/Project’s Glenn Martens provided his own vision for the brand and it's just as innovative and provocative as the original designer's. He trotted out a variety of Gaultier's most famous signatures such as sailor stripes, sexy corsetry, and couture denim, and turned them on their heads. The corsetry, for instance, perfectly covered the female form in an almost clinical sort of way, far from the erotic nature that Gaultier was notorious for. However, the opulent crumpled gowns were what really stole the show!
Source: Jean Paul Gaultier YouTube Channel
Although Viktor & Rolf are better known for their showstopping avant-garde gowns, this spring/summer 2022 season brought out the tailors in them for haute couture. Inspired by Dracula, Nosferatu, and any other vampiric mythology out there, their exaggerated suits, which put even the best French menswear brands to shame, protected on an important body part: the neck. The Dutch design duo distorted the standard silhouette and exaggerated it to look as if every models' shoulders reached above their heads. Was it a flattering look? That's up for debate! But the slightly humorous and definitely fascinating take on tailoring definitely stood out against the ball gowns and flowing dresses that dominated the couture season.
Source: FF Channel YouTube Channel
While Viktor & Rolf played with standard shapes in their distorted suiting, Valentino welcomed all body shapes in their spring/summer haute couture show instead. Creative director Pierpaolo Piccoli has always been at the forefront of uplifting diversity in this very exclusive, thin-obsessed industry and this season was no different. Featuring plus-sized models and seasoned runway veterans that are a lot older compared to the dominant teens-to-early-20s models in the cast, Piccoli dressed every woman in stand-out silhouettes, vibrant colors, whimsical shapes, luxurious textures, and more. He entitled the collection the 'Anatomy of Couture,' setting forth a new revolution that will finally open up haute couture to a lot more people.
Source: Valentino YouTube Channel
“It’s a summer collection, so it’s very fresh, even with a lot of embroideries,” Virginie Viard, the creative director of the house of Chanel, told Vogue.com during the fittings for her spring/summer 2022 haute couture collection. Just like the founder of the house, Coco Chanel, Viard has always trusted the simple and minimal aesthetic for her own collections for the brand. This season, despite the heavy tweeds, the feathered details, the tulle ruffles, and more, Viard really did keep it clean, fresh, and undeniably French. Of course, with Chanel, God is always in the details but still, these were the type of chic clothes that anyone can laze around in their luxury Parisian homes. That's what couture is supposed to be in 2022!
Source: Chanel YouTube Channel
Kim Jones, Fendi's creative director for womenswear, has always been a streetwise designer. In fact, he's among the many pioneers of streetwear, trotting out as many sportswear and urban wear in his luxurious collections. But when he took over Fendi and worked on haute couture for the first time, it was quite surprising how he was able to adapt to the extravagant legacy of the craft. His spring/summer 2022 haute couture collection further proves that. Inspired by the glossy magic of science fiction, his models looked like radiant queens from 'Star Wars.' From the streamlined dresses to the embellished ball gowns, even with the somber color scheme, they all looked stately in a space-age sort of way.
Source: Fendi YouTube Channel
You can always trust Giambattista Valli to churn out a frothy spring/summer haute couture collection with as many frills for thrills as possible. Critics would say that this was the same old tulle parade that Valli has become popular for over the years. Pretty? Sure! But not anything new. The floral dresses that started the show would have Miranda Priestly raising her eyebrows too, trying to look for whatever's breathtaking enough to merit an exit on an haute couture runway. But try as she might, Valli will never change his fanciful aesthetic. Nor does he need to. The extravagant romance he displayed on the runway was the much-needed 'pep in your step' that Paris needed as it continues to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: FF Channel YouTube Channel
The spring/summer 2022 haute couture collections were incredibly beautiful, show-stoppingly stunning, and excitingly trend-setting. Though not a lot could afford these priceless clothes, their influence on fashion will likely change the way people dress for the upcoming year!
