Paris Haute Couture A/W 12-13: Runway

At Paris Haute Couture, French and Italian designers rushed to the runway to showcase their breathtaking designs. This year we've witnessed the veil prevail at many shows (special mention to Armani and Giambattista Valli for doing it particularly well).

Strong trends that will permeate from the runway to real life? Expect to see

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Armani Prive – Armani took models from morning to midnight with beautifully crafted silhouettes and easy to wear pieces. He created mystery by adding beautiful tulle veils, some embellished for extra drama.
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Armani.
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Armani.
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Armani.
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Chanel – 1940s lines and shoulders dominated with coats and capes featuring heavily. Hair even had a 40s feel. The tweed had heavy gilding; Lagerfeld wove lots of silver through tulles and tweeds for an update on a vintage look.
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Chanel.
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Chanel.
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Chanel.
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Dior - Raf Simons debut his first haute couture collection for Christian Dior. He focused on construction and architecture, even down to eye make-up. The key silhouette was the full skirt and featured many deep pocketed coat dresses.
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Dior.
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Dior.
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Dior.
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Elie Saab- Most of the collection featured cocktail dresses and gowns, very pretty and strongly embellished pieces (beads, sequins, jewels and crystals). Fabrics were soft and feminine like Chantilly lace, silk and georgette. Silhouettes were reminiscent of caftans and were simple and repetitive.
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Elie Saab.
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Elie Saab.
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Elie Saab.
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Givenchy- The present day gypsy was the inspiration for this collection. Beading and fringing were the heroes, as well as floor length capes.
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Givenchy.
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Givenchy.
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Jean Paul Gaultier – Top hats and tailoring featured heavily in this collection. So did the tailcoat and anything that was reminiscent of rock-star Peter Doherty.
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Jean Paul Gaultier.
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Jean Paul Gaultier.
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Maison Martin Margiela –Vintage transformed, this collection featured crystal doorknobs and reworked wind sails to make gloves and coats. The upper body was the focus of this collection with bottoms often draped in lace.
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Maison Martin Margiela.
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Maison Martin Margiela.
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Giambattista Valli- what a fantasy collection. Lots of full skirts, elaborate ruffles and volumes of layers. The prints were bold and the veiled heads with applique butterflies had a woodland feel.
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Giambattista Valli.
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Giambattista Valli.
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Giambattista Valli.
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Giambattista Valli.
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Valentino –A romantic collection. As always, full length chiffon gowns were the standouts. Designers dulled down the houses’ traditional colour red and this time heading more for navy blues for the mood of the collection.
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Valentino.
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Valentino.
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Valentino.
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Versace- Flowing corseted dresses and high slits, as well as pastel chain mail featured heavily in this collection.
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Versace.
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Versace.
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Versace.

Madison Gallery Large

Paris Haute Couture A/W 12-13: Runway

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