Fashion is as Gorgeous as a Geisha - & Just as Elaborate - on the Spring 2007 Couture Runways. FASHIONTRIBES FASHION BLOG

 

(left to right: Givenchy Couture; Christian Dior Couture)

In the couture, designers bring to life fantasy ensembles involving the most expensive fabrics, unusual trims, cool color palettes, and labor-intensive contruction techniques & tricks that will never see the inside of a factory. The more critically acclaimed & written about a show is, the better a brand will fare. Those ostensibly money-losing $100,000 couture dresses actually establish the brand; in fact, they are the most effective form of advertising, inducing otherwise rational fashionistas to willingly waitlist & line up for the privilege of shelling out hundred$$$ for accessories & sunglasses, and over $1200 for bags.

Because they are primarily about theatricality & creativity, Haute Couture shows are incredibly alluring. The best designers are like canaries in the mine of the pop culture consciouness: they possess finely-tuned antenae. When a theme, idea, or even color resonates, it shows up on the runway - and we're afforded a peek directly into the zeitgeist. At present, the mood seems to be madonna-meets-geisha, with a dash of Victorian prim.

Starting with the mist-filled, romantic tableaux which opened Givenchy, to the nimbus-like headgear at Jean Paul Gaultier, full-on geisha makeup & coiffure adornments at Christian Dior, and yards of floaty but body-concealing pastel fabrics everywhere, it's as if we've adopted a 19th century view of sexiness, when a mere flash of ankle could inspire torrid love poetry. Muted metallic flounces, waist cinchers and corsetry seemed less like adornment and more like armor (almost reminscent of a chastity-protecting iron maiden), as did mask-like makeup & hair.

The Mood is Madonna-meets-Geisha at the Spring 2007 Haute Couture

Soft & swaddled in enough yardage to upholster an entire house:

left to right: Jean Paul Gaultier; Christian Dior; Givenchy

   
Givenchy; Chanel; Christian Lacroix

   
Elie Saab; Valentino; Christian Lacroix

Waist cinchers & metallics as armor:

 
Chanel; Christian Lacroix; Valentino

   
Jean Paul Gaultier; Gaultier, ElieSaab

Makeup & hair as protective mask:

Christian Dior; Jean Paul Gaultier; Armani Prive 

  (both: Christian Dior)

- Lesley Scott

(photos: Style.com)

fashiontribes.