ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015

21NEWS/FEATURES

worked, especially one overly clashingmulticolored mink coat. But Guyon is cer-tainly moving the house in a welcome,more coherent direction since the depar-ture last year of designer Marco Zanini.

Floaty floor-length gowns, intri-cate detailing

and “hautefourrure”, or“high fur”,mark thisweek’s ParisHauteCoutureshows,wheresome offashion’sbestknownnamespresentsome oftheworld’smostexpen-

sive clothes.

VersaceOn Sunday, celebrity-

favourite Versace hadbeen among the first toshowcase its designs at

the five-day autumn-winter2015/16 fashion week, presenting chiffondresses worn with floral crowns on a glasscatwalk filled with orchids.

Using a palette of soft pink, lilac andpale grey as well as flashes of orange,turquoise and black, designer DonatellaVersace decorated her evening gowns withfloral motifs, layered ruffles and sparklyembellishments.

Paris’ haute couture week runs untilThursday, with about 30 designer housespresenting their collections, includingFendi, which will make its couture debuton Wednesday.

Creative director Karl Lagerfeld, whoalso designs for Chanel, is said to be pre-senting a high fur or “haute fourrure” col-lection as he marks 50 years at the luxurylabel, drawing criticism from animalrights activists. (Agencies)

Fash

ion

PARIS: Celebrities such as LupitaNyong’o and Emily Blunt sparkled in theheat at Christian Dior’s vivid coutureshow set in a timeless conservatory inParis.

It was the highlight of Monday’s fall-winter 2015-16 Paris Fashion Weekshows, which also included Schiaparelli.

Dior Lupita Nyong’o looked ravishing in a

short, cherry red Dior couture dressMonday, and was at a loss for words onentering Christian Dior’s “The Garden ofEarthly Delights” show set inside theRodin Museum. Guests ventured withtrepidation on entering the huge, abstractpainted conservatory garden that featuredmyriad multicolored panels — and someeven tripped on the giant colored fruitscattered around the floor.

“It’s really cool,” the actress said, look-ing around in amazement from her spotnext to US Vogue Editor Anna Wintour.“It’s so incredible. I think I need to take amoment!”

Emily Blunt — in a simple, whiteknee-length Dior gown — was equallyamazed.

“This is just extraordinary. This is kindof why I would walk from London toParis to see this show. I’m so excited,”she said.

The only thing she regretted about hertrip was a lack of sufficient planning forFrance’s soaring temperatures, which haverecently hit 40 degrees Celsius (104degrees Fahrenheit).

In a surreal garden setting, Dior design-er Raf Simons wove his creative needle inand out through different centuries. Thatproduced an imaginative time-travel of acouture show, which riffed on the styles ofthe Flemish Masters, the Middle Ages andthe Renaissance.

The large fruit props on the runwayconjured up scenes from historic still-life oil paintings.

Longdiaphanous columnsilhouettes in chif-fon, like medievalundergarments,floated by elegantlyalongside gowns withhigh-cinched waistsand wide, billowingsleeves that mirroredthe old Flemish styles.Some bejeweled netgilets were worn on thetorso, evoking chainmailin a beautiful touch.

The sense of chictime-travel was furtherheightened with delicatedots and patterns on thefabrics — designs thatevoked the FrenchImpressionists and the tech-nique of Pointillism associ-ated with artists likeGeorges Seurat.

The coats were the highestpoint of this strong collection,with one standout: a flame-redcoat with beautifully largetubular cuffs.

Elsa SchiaparelliCelebrity guests including Meg Ryan

were swept away to the glamour of 1930stheatre life at Bertrand Guyon’s debut col-lection for Schiaparelli.

And what better a setting than to startexploring the theatricality of the greatcouturier Elsa? Famed for inventing

In an impressive recreated theater,Guyon’s models harked from another era.

Fastidiously embellished ‘30s Orientalistsatin jackets had softly square shoulders.Silk “jabot” collars and voluminous“Duster” coats wafted by with exaggerat-ed pockets, alongside bejeweled eye, starand key lock decorations.

Guyon even referenced the mania forGrecian looks in Schiaparelli’s heyday ina couple of diaphanous column dresseswith flashes of gold.

Not all the theatrical exuberance

Above andbelow: Modelspresent cre-

ations byGiambattista

Valli, DiceKayek,

Christian Diorand Chanelduring the2015-2016

fall/winter Haute CoutureCollection Fashion show

on July 6, in Paris.(AFP)

GiambattistaValli

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli

Dice Kayek

Giambattista Valli

Dice Kayek

Dice Kayek

Chanel

Chanel

Christian Dior

designers of the ‘20s and ‘30s. The housewas recently revived.

shocking pink and having collaborationswith Surrealists like Salvador Dali, CocoChanel’s hated rival Schiaparelli was oneof the greatest and most colorful Parisian

Chanel

PARIS