The Best of Couture Week

In case you didn’t know, this past week was Spring 2008 Couture Week in Paris. Couture week is where we see the most creative and innovative works from top designers. This year’s selection did not disappoint.

Below are my top picks for the best looks of couture week from all the hottest designers. I chose 6 looks from each show that I found the most interesting and reflective of the designer’s collection. Click the photos to enlarge.

Armani Privé

Armani Privé was an amazing collection, though when has Armani not been impressive? The tailored pieces were impecable and fitted perfectly to the model’s body, whereas the gowns literally looked as if they were made out of flowers. Armani’s red dress (6th picture below) was a special tribute to Valentino, who retired this year.

Chanel

Chanel’s couture show was elegant, ladylike and still fun at the same time. I loved how most of the outfits were short and most of the models were wearing flats. The light, pastel colors would be perfect for spring, and how gorgeous do they look on the short dresses? The Chanel collection also incorporated silver grey and metallics, which are both going to continue as hot trends this season.

Christian Dior

The Dior collection was the epitome of what I think couture should be - crazy “wouldn’t wear them in real life but they’re so amazing to look at” outfits. The models looked like neon-wrapped birthday presents, plus just check out the shoes in the photos below! I can’t imagine how the models were able to walk in them but they make the outfits look even more fabulous.

Christian Lacroix

Lacroix isn’t one of my favorite designers, and that’s probably why the couture show seemed a bit lackluster to me. I liked the tights that all the models wore, but aside from that, most of the pieces didn’t appeal to my taste, so there isn’t much to comment on.

Elie Saab

Elie Saab is one of my favorite desingers ever in the world. His designs are what I would wear if I were a famous singer going to Grammy’s, or an actress at the Academy Awards. The couture collection was full of gowns covered in sparkles, shimmery fabrics, and figure-flattering shapes. I love love loved all the dresses below!

Givenchy

The looks at Givenchy’s couture show reminded me of glammed up ballerinas when I first saw them (probably because of the ribboned shoes and full skirts.) Loved the use of sheer fabrics, metallics and shiny black material - very modern and pretty in my opinion. Also, ohmygod the gold dress in the first picture… so gorgeous!

Jean Paul Gaultier

As expected, Gaultier’s collection was fabulous. I loved the use of warm colors, florals and of course, the fact that the show was mermaid themed. (Best disney movie ever?) The dress in the first photo below was my favorite of all. It’s one couture dress that I would have no problem wearing all the time in real life. Bonus points go to the gold tights in the last photo on the right below. I would definitely rock those.

Valentino

For his final show before retirement, Valentino showed an amazing collection of signature looks. His dresses consistently blow me away and this show was, of course, no exception. Valentino incorporated many “girly” elements into the looks - lace, fringe, beading, and floral. It all worked beautifully. I’m sure he will be sorely missed in the fashion community.

Versace

Versace’s collection of couture gowns blew me away. I literally found myself staring at the dresses in awe - the gorgeous colors, incredible draping and perfect shapes were just impeccable in my opinion. While Versace does a black dress very well, my two favorite designs below were the turquoise and orange dresses. The bright colors look amazing on such perfectly designed gowns. This was one of my favorite collections of the whole week.

What do you think of the couture shows above? Which looks did you like best? Which designer is your favorite? Let me know in the comments and make sure to take the poll below! For more images from these fashion shows, visit style.com.

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