COUTURE WEEK FALL 2025- CELEBRATING THE ART OF CLOTHES

IRIS VAN HERPEN

Iris Van Herpen might well be the current designer most suited to 21st-century couture. Van Herpen not only celebrated the beauty of couture but also envisioned science as an integral part of fashion. Indeed, science has been incorporated into fashion in the past, but not in this way with living biological species as a part of the design. The centrepiece was a "living dress" pulsing with 250 million bioluminescent algae: under a tent, the gown glowed an electric blue. In addition to this extraordinary piece, Van Herpen utilized ultra-light woven textiles, hinting at a future of bio-fabrics.

COUTURE WEEK

CHANEL

No couture week would be complete without a look at what Chanel put down the runway. Equally important was the ideal setting of a draped salon, featuring a white carpet, mirrored walls, and beige banquettes strewn with quilted cushions. While the great fashion house is between designers, the house awaits the debut of Matthieu Blazy in October. The house team designed this collection. Inspired in part by Coco Chanel's love of the Scottish highlands, the house team presented a woolly, wintery wonderland in shades of winter whites and beige. Indeed, you can't cater to your couture clients without a sprinkling of colour and, of course, some black. All the Chanel couture skills were on full display, but the collection lacked a clear focus. In the light of Blazy's anticipated launch, couture clients can be excused if the collection slightly missed the mark.

COUTURE WEEK

Curtain Call at Balenciaga, Opening Night at Margiela

A changing of the guard always hits differently in couture. Demna's final Balenciaga show was a moody, slow-burn affair — equal parts retrospective and revolution. The silhouettes were austere, almost ecclesiastical, yet with Demna's signature subversive wink. The surprise casting? Kim Kardashian swanning down in a noir slip dress, channelling Elizabeth Taylor-meets-Death Becomes Her. At the same time, French icon Isabelle Huppert turned a simple turtleneck into high priestess realness, entering the room as Bob The Drag would say purse first.

I'm not sad to see the end of the decade Demna spent at Balenciaga. While he certainly had his moments, and many loved the Demna Balenciaga, he never really expressed the grand master couturier's brilliance. Maybe Gucci will suit Demna's street style better.

Over at Maison Margiela, Belgian darling Glenn Martens made his long-anticipated debut, stepping into the hallowed — and shadowy — space vacated by the legendary John Galliano. Martens didn't hold back. His "Artisanal" collection was a punk-glam fever dream of upcycled thrift, corseted denim, and twisted tailoring that felt both irreverent and reverential. It was couture as manifesto.

Indeed, it takes balls to follow in the footsteps of John Galliano's last Maison Margiela couture show, which will be remembered as a fashion moment, where Galliano's epic storytelling captured the world. However, Glenn Martens is no slouch and has proven his designer pedigree at Diesel, the Y Project and Jean Paul Gaultier. I'm looking forward to his ready-to-wear in September, which is more of testing ground of where he will steer the brand.

COUTURE WEEK

Where Was Armani?

The crown prince of polished elegance, Giorgio Armani, was notably absent this season, for the first time in the 20-year history of Armani Privé. At 91, the designer followed the doctor's orders and took a figurative seat, overseeing the collection remotely from Milan. The show still carried his unmistakable touch: fluid lines, a delicate sparkle, and tailoring as soft as a whispered lullaby. Silhouettes were lean and softly severe, gliding down the runway, in Armani's words," like lines of ink, shining discreetly without dazzling". But the void in his usual front-row appearance was deeply felt.

COUTURE WEEK

A Rose by Any Other Name... Would Still Be Everywhere

Floral motifs were never subtle this season. The rose, in particular, reigned supreme — not just as a romantic cliché but as a symbol of couture's enduring relationship with nature, femininity, and the passage of time. Think Georgia O'Keeffe meets Lady Gaga.

Giambattista Valli sent out gowns that resembled petals floating on the wind, featuring gigantic fabric roses that bloomed from the shoulders, hips, and bodices. Elie Saab stayed in his dreamy, fairytale lane, presenting princess gowns dusted with crystalized roses, echoing Botticelli's Primavera on the runway. And in sharp contrast, Robert Wun stunned with black-and-white rose motifs — like a Tim Burton film translated through couture — on architectural crinoline dresses that seemed to be carved from shadow and silk.

COUTURE WEEK

Cardi Couture: A Front Row Story

Let's talk about Cardi B — because, honestly, she was the star of couture week.

From a gravity-defying sculptural headpiece at Stephane Rolland (looking like a shrouded saint from a queer cathedral) to a crow-accompanied photo op at Schiaparelli, Cardi didn't just attend shows; she became the show. Her fashion presence was maximalist, irreverent, and pure theatre — a reminder that couture is at its best when it’s unapologetically performative.

COUTURE WEEK

Designers Who Dared

Beyond the big houses, several designers left indelible marks this week:

Rami Al Ali

The Syrian-born designer made history as the first couturier from Syria to show on the official Paris calendar. His collection was an ode to precision, grace, and resilience — sculpted gowns in shimmering organzas and silks and masterful draping that honoured both heritage and haute couture. His lineup, in a series of pastels, gold, and ending with rich blacks, telegraphed sophistication and breeziness in equal measure.

Rahul Mishra

The Indian couturier Rahul Mishra presented a couture collection that was full of drama, flamboyance, and theatrics. Inspired by an Indian Sufi text of meditative verse on the seven stages of love and the gilded paintings by Gustav Klimt, Mishra created an imaginative collection. Sculptural pieces, flowers floating off the body, and golden mosaics made for a spectacle that set my spirit soaring. Indeed, if you imagine something, you can create it, with the aid of an atelier of skilled craftspeople. Haute Couture came alive with this collection. Bravo!

Stephane Rolland

Couture week is a platform for designers to expand, fantasize, and, in a certain sense, show off what they can do. Stephane Rolland presented one of my favourite collections of the season. Uniquely presented with a full orchestra, the sculptural gowns glided some like delicate exotic flowers, while others channelled exaggerated tuxedos. Headdresses finished the looks like sculptures influenced by Spanish, Japanese and futuristic influences. The black, red, white and gold palette emphasized the drama and theatricality of the symbolically charged collection.

COUTURE WEEK

MY CONCLUSIONS

As a lifelong lover of fashion—someone who lives for the drama of the runway and the stories stitched into every seam—couture is my North Star. It's the heart of fashion's history and future. From Charles Frederick Worth, the "father of haute couture," who pioneered the use of live models and branded labels in 1858, to Coco Chanel's democratizing genius in liberating women from corsets with fluid jersey suits, couture has always been both radical and refined. It's not just about luxury; it's about pushing the boundaries of the craft. Couture ateliers—those fuelled by artisans who spend hundreds of hours on meticulous hand-stitching and exotic materials—don't chase mass sales. Instead, they chase perfection, turning garments into walkable sculpture . And when couture innovates—like Gucci's surreal hoops or Dior's Bar jackets—it ripples through ready-to-wear, shaping what we actually shop for in boutiques worldwide.

But more than artistry and trendsetting, couture holds a more profound cultural resonance. These garments serve as wearable landmarks that reflect the cultural narrative of their time. Whether it's feminist empowerment in Maria Grazia Chiuri's feminist-infused Dior works or the revival of artisan crafts that keep centuries-old techniques alive. In an era of fast fashion, couture isn't frivolous; it serves as the ethical compass of the industry, reminding us that slow creation, precision, and storytelling matter. To me—J. Andrew Jackson, queer fashion writer, art history nerd—it's the exhilarating intersection of craft, culture, and identity, a space where fashion feels most alive and significant. And yes, even though most of us can't afford a bespoke gown, I care deeply about the couture conversation—because its impact radiates well beyond the atelier and into the closet of every fashion consumer.

CIAO FOR J. ANDREW JACKSON