From painted show spaces to sculptural gowns, this season’s couture reveals how designers are turning fashion presentations into immersive cultural performances.
Paris is proving once again this week that Haute Couture is about more than just a dress. Avant-garde garden motifs, singular debuts, and vampire-like bridal romance intertwine with art and culture, transforming fashion shows into genuine artistic events.
At Chanel, under the direction of Matthieu Blazy, painter Joël Blanc took to the runway and painted the perimeter of the show right before the audience’s eyes. The collection embraces the theme of fairy tales: elongated vines at the Grand Palais create the setting for a story in which magical details – from footwear to the smallest elements – add to the plot, while the final note is struck by a winged dress in the bridal look.
At Dior, Jonathan Anderson turned to the art of Lynda Benglis: at the Musée Rodin, he presented his second collection, where sculptural forms and fabrics create a blend of historic expressiveness and contemporary energy. Intensely saturated colors and textures elevate the collection into a dialogue between different geographies of inspiration.
In the Rodin courtyard, the designer mused that it could have been a beautiful wedding setting for a famous pop diva and her partner – but Anderson was responsible solely for the dress, leaving room to imagine how the look might interact with the surrounding space.
Art as a Source of Couture Inspiration
Balenciaga is associated with art this season through more indirect references, while Pierpaolo Piccioli, in his debut collection for the house, emphasized the emotional dimension – fashion should become not only a form but also a mood.
“Couture is not only about the dress. It is about a worldview.”
– Pierpaolo Piccioli
Foundation Alaïa, which is leaving behind its temple of archival fashion and art, describes Alaïa’s legacy as integrity – an assessment that sounds like a confident affirmation of the honesty of craftsmanship preserved in Carla Sozzani’s studio.
“integrity”
– Carla Sozzani
Michael Stewart of Standing Ground demonstrates his distinctive style and his refusal to chase seasonal novelty with elegant confidence: his collection is marked by a clear concept and close attention to technique, elevating fashion to the level of art.
“We should not feel pressured as designers to come up with something new every year.”
– Michael Stewart
Rahul Mishra, the first Indian designer to enter the Paris couture scene back in 2020, recalled Michelangelo’s famous words: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free” – emphasizing the idea that stone can become a work of art through craftsmanship. Isha Ambani noted that couture is demanding, but Indian craftsmanship proves it can meet those standards and even surpass them.
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
– Rahul Mishra
Manish Malhotra made his debut with the Maa collection, in which every look tells the story of a mother and child through a cinematic lens. He said: “On this global platform, of course I will present my work, but I also want to present myself.” This personal perspective also comes through, bringing the collection closer to the viewer’s heart.
“On this global platform, of course I will present my work, but I also want to present myself.”
– Manish Malhotra
Opera Gallery introduced Gustavo Nazareno – a Brazilian artist whose work combines painting with couture: his canvases of Afro-Brazilian deities dressed in fabrics are already partly sold. Nazareno explained that as a child he turned to the library for books on the Renaissance, while his encounter with Irving Penn changed the language of his art.
“I would spend my days looking at photographs. I learned through my eyes.”
– Gustavo Nazareno
Paris once again proves that fashion and art move forward side by side, while runways become spaces for artistic storytelling. Avant-garde gardens, singular debuts, and even vampire-like bridal looks are shaping new languages of couture, through which the world sees contemporary style infused with fresh artistic energy.