Battling Haute Couture: Paris Couture Week S/S2015

Going to the shows in Paris for Haute Couture is a bit like going to war.  Only, unlike a soldier, you don't pack in a camouflage duffle but the largest 2 suitcases you have.  And you don't pack combat boots and uniforms, you pack stilettos and designer dresses.  Guns are traded in for handbags, and bullets are your jewels.  This isn't war.  This is fashion.

First battle: Versace Haute Couture.  Versace always starts off the war on Sunday night.  An exciting and electrifying kick off, Donatella Versace never disappoints with her designs, and this year was the best runway I've seen so far from her.  The sleek suits and cut out dresses were simple and sexy.  Sapphire blue, black, red and white never looked so good together.  The attention to the woman's shape is never denied, and I found my first ever Versace HC look this season.  At this point, not sure if I'm winning or losing the battle.

Dior is next.  I have officially become a Dior Haute Couture girl.  My admiration for Raf Simons is loyal from Haute Couture to Ready to Wear to accessories.  His modern architectural approach to clothes both inspires me and captures me.  And the shapes from this season are right up my alley, blending the line between 1960's Mod and futuristic Modern. When there are so many open targets, it's hard to decide which one to focus on!

Alexis Mabille.  He is the darling of the Paris fashion scene: always airy and impish.  He really remembers the fantasy of couture, and this collection was no different.  Sad to miss his 10th Anniversary dinner after, this war was starting to wear at me a bit.  (and I even had a seat across from Hamish Bowles!) Paris Haute Couture is not meant for the weak at heart…

Dita Von Teese in Alexis with the man of the hour Alexis Mabille

Stephane Rolland was a surprise attack.  I really liked the simplicity of this show.  Confirming that black and white is the new uniform and sheer is the best camouflage, Rolland was fresh and bold.  All of the looks had a calm tranquility over us as the transparent sexuality mesmerized.

Final battle of the week was Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture.  I love saving the best for last!  JPG never fails to come out with bullets, hand grenades and victory fireworks.  I thought this was one of the best JPG shows I've seen in a few seasons.  And his inclusion of his retired soldiers that walked the cat walk was a testimony to his history and place as one of the best of Haute Couture.

At the end of the war, we all celebrate with the SIDaction Gala, an organization dedicated to the ongoing fight against AIDS.  Designers, models, actors, and fashion lovers all come together to continue raising funds for the scientific research and education that must still happen in this war that is still yet to be won.  We celebrate the small battles and strategize the next.  

The best way to end the Haute Couture week.

Wearing Alexis Mabille Haute Couture with fellow fashionista Amber Sakai in her own design and Jean Paul Gaultier

My dates and fashion marines, Brian Atwood and Joey Maalouf

Christian Dior Haute Couture: A Splendid Forest

A snowy day in Paris met the Haute Couture of Christian Dior last week in the Tuileries.  Snowshoes may have been more appropriate to wear than my stilettos as I walked past the lit up Ferris Wheel and into the garden of slush and snow.  A man in black escorted me down the long path to the tent, where at last, the Garden of Eden was found inside.

Reminding us that the buds of Spring will be arriving soon, the decor of Dior's tent was serene and earthy.  Models emerged from within the forest in ice blues and colored tights.

Slowly colors made their way in.  Raf remains true to the Dior aesthetic while somehow creating a modern, sculptural collection.  Feminine, ladylike and sexy.

The front of the pieces that walked in were stunningly beautiful, but the backs were even more evocative.  It is all about the exit.

By the end of the show, I half expected the buds on the trees to open into full bloom. Raf has himself blossomed into full success at Dior and as an influential designer of the new Century.