What's 'Haute' This Season: Spring/Summer '21 Fashion Review Part 1
Tarot cards, mushrooms, and a chest plate all walk onto a runway—what happens next? Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2021 happens. This past week was big for fashion, with numerous brands showcasing their new collections. This fashion week looked different than past shows due to the pandemic. Some brands were only releasing photos and videos with no runway show. Other brands did a show with a limited audience or no audience at all. However, these changes did not deter fashion houses and designers from showcasing some fantastic looks.
Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuri has been the Creative Director at Dior for the past five years. She is the first female designer in the brand's history to debut collections. For this 2021 Spring/Summer Haute Couture show, she was inspired by tarot cards from the Visconti Sforza deck created for the Duke of Milan in the 15th century. Christian Dior himself was a big believer in psychics, mediums, and tarot cards. It was believed he would have a tarot reading on the day of his couture shows. This collection is inspired by the richness of the brand's history with tarot cards.
Visconti Sforza tarot deck
The Looks
The first look is a white lace gown with branches and fruit motifs scattered throughout the gown. It is very reminiscent of classic Italian motifs.
Pictured below is a high bust line, embroidered dress with floral motifs throughout, which showcases a more Italian renaissance look. The jacquard dress gives off a Bridgerton vibe.
Maria Grazia Chiuri has said in the past that she wants to focus on creating wearable clothing. She showcases those wearable looks with a couple of two-piece sets. One is a jacquard pant with a guipure type top. The other looks are a take on the classic business suit. However, it has an added flare of youthfulness.
Below is the final look. The gown is a guipure style top with embroidering on the bust, which cascades down into a sheer skirt. It has a sweet and youthful touch to it.
Dior, all in all, had nothing revolutionary; however, it showed a more playful and youthful side to Maria Grazia Chiuri—one in which we haven't seen quite so much in past collections. This collection was heavily influenced by the Italian renaissance and the tarot cards, which shined through.
Iris Van Herpen
Iris Van Herpen has been around for ten years, establishing her business in 2007 with a business model unlike any other. The brand 3-D prints and laser cuts clothing to add a sense of movement. This technologically advanced brand is putting clothing on the runway in a way that's never been done before. For this year's Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture show, Iris Van Herpen was inspired by fungi, titling the collection "Roots of Rebirth.” Van Herpen discusses something [mushrooms] that is important to our world, but is often overlooked. The title is a nod to the ongoing pandemic and the hope of a newer, safer, healthier world.
The Looks
The first look is an ombré gown of deep blues to a sheer white. With the curved shaped shoulders, the dress is reminiscent of an oyster mushroom.
An intricate winding style dress draping down the body is redolent of vines. The pleated copper dress almost looks unnatural with how it sits on the body but creates a beautiful shape.
A purple column gown with 3-D appliqués clustered together created a harness and skirt for the dress. You can see the influence of the bark mushroom.
The finale of a white/yellow cocktail dress with half-moon geometric shapes clearly shows the complexity of the work of Iris Van Herpen.
Iris Van Herpen is a revolutionary designer with her use of 3-D and laser printing to create clothing. This collection showcases the talent and creativity this fashion house is consistently putting down the runway.
Schiaparelli
Daniel Roseberry was appointed the creative director position at Schiaparelli in 2019. Elsa Schiaparelli was known for her surrealist designs and quirky accessories. This collection showcases a surrealist notion of excitement, joy, and exploration—breaking away from the 1950s idea of what is typically believed to be Haute Couture.
The Looks
The first look is a black molded breastplate with a 6-pack. It is accompanied by a pink satin bow tied in the front, instead of it being traditionally tied in the back, flowing into a sleek black-trimmed satin skirt. This look is referencing the pink satin bow dress from Saint Laurent's 1983 Haute Couture collection.
Following the opening look is an amoeba-like keyhole cut-out black dress. The cut-out is lined with gold teeth.
The accessories, such as the decapitated body bag, gold-toe outline boots, and lock handbag, play into the quirky and camp accessories the brand is known for.
A pink-sequined cocktail dress with a bulky bodybuilder form built-in plays on the "classic" cocktail dress and creates a perfect juxtaposition of tough and sweet.
The model's earrings hold up a pink gown that drapes off the body beautifully. This is a fashion moment.
The last look showcases the signature cloud-like look. It is over the top and surreal with an angelic vibe.
Schiaparelli is a brand that consistently thinks outside of the box and has an endless imagination. This collection showcases the surrealism and creativity the brand is known for. Daniel Roseberry perfectly captures the brand's identity and creativity.
Haute Couture is all about handcrafting one-off pieces. The exclusivity and the private, made-to-order clothing creates an atmosphere and clothing coveted by private clients. These fashion shows, which showcased their collections, executed what it means to be Haute Couture.
All clothing photography sourced from Vogue Runway