Haute couture is an aspect of fashion that people have usually heard of, but, unless they’re in the industry, don’t fully understand the happenings of. It’s all very hush hush, which is ironic considering most of the heritage houses of today used to have couture lines, and many of our grandparents grew up in an era where couture was much more accessible than it is now (one of the joys of ✨inflation✨). Haute couture, by its direct translation, is high dressmaking. This means that a high price point also accompanies the garments, since the majority of the process is done by hand. It’s also especially exclusive because each piece can only be bought once and is thence adjusted to that client’s preferences. 

I kind of love that idea, but only because a small part of me thrives in the face of having things that no other person does. This idea of exclusivity also allows clientele to customise things that they don’t love about the sample from the runway. For example, If something is too revealing or if you don’t like the colour of a garment or its embroidery palette/ placement, you can change that. There’s such an admirable amount of craftsmanship behind the process of haute couture, and in a world where fashion labourers typically don’t get paid fairly, the price tag, in my opinion, is exclusionary out of necessity. How much would you want to charge for spending 1200 hours painstakingly hand-embroidering a garment? Take that figure and double it (because everyone knows you’re also paying for the house’s name).

So, in an arena where you have the opportunity to almost completely customise runway pieces, it gives the designers leeway to have fun, something that isn’t so much encouraged in the throes of capitalism because ready-to-wear and leather goods need to SELL to the general public. Whilst having fun is something I adore seeing on the HC runways, some of the looks this season brought about the question of whether there is such a thing as too much fun? Fun that makes the garments counterproductive to haute couture. Let’s discuss, shall we?

I think we can all agree that there are houses that generally have more fun with their designs than others. The same applies, even moreso in my eyes, to couture houses. Brands like Schiaparelli and Viktor&Rolf have been the figureheads of fun in couture, while houses like Chanel and Dior, with very traditional couture clientele, stick to more basic silhouettes and focus on doing them exceptionally well. Couture of today is worn privately and publicly by wealthy clients and celebrities, respectively. This gives the houses (that want to) a chance to experiment what the perfect balance is between fun and functionality. I’m going to analyse where on this scale each collection for the Fall 23 Couture season falls.

Going in chronological order (by order of appearance on Vogue Runway), these are the notes I wrote:

Fendi Couture was no fun. I feel that Kim’s Fendi Couture is greatly inspired by Valentino’s model of presentation (meaning he wants to keep it simple, as per house codes) but it felt disjointed because women’s RTW under Kim’s Fendi isn’t minimal at all. I know that this was also the presentation of Fendi’s first high jewellery collection by Delfina Delletraz, but there are only so many ancient Roman draped gowns that you can create out of 37 looks before it becomes stale. The models were carrying their clutches like Princess Diana, which I thought was cute. 5.1/10 I was bored

Valentino Couture was just RTW but 10 times the price. Pierpaolo makes beautiful clothing, disregarding whether it’s RTW or HC, but this collection felt very safe. He didn’t want to take risks. I find it very interesting that both PP and JPG by Julien featured beaded jeans, even if I love them both. 77 looks felt like a lot, but I know that Valentino has the clients to sustain that. The most fun they had were with the gloves and that rose headpiece dress. 6.4/10 but only because I love Valentino

Balenciaga Couture was a collection I hate to love so much. Demna didn’t lie when he said he was focusing on making good clothes from now on because the craftsmanship?! There were noticeable silhouettes throughout the 59 looks, but unfortunately for me, the menswear fell short. 7.0/10 good but I wasn’t gagged

Zuhair Murad was just 53 gowns. In dark colours. With witchy motifs. I’m absolutely not his target audience because even the silhouettes were underwhelming me. 3.3/10 I wasn’t having fun

Viktor&Rolf was capital F-U-N but at the cost of practicality. Last season was also capital FUN but still functional (as seen by Elsa Hosk wearing one of the dresses at Cannes). I will say the house codes stayed (playing with structure in all directions, the bows, the messages) but they had a touch too much fun for me to truly love it. 7.6/10 it was 31 looks and only 2.5 legs were covered

JPG Julien was fun in that it was interesting. My favourite look is the cheetah print blazer/ hat look (it’s so fetch to me). So many of the details made me want to stare at the pieces for a long time, and that, to me, is fun. My only criticism is that it felt more like we were watching a Paco HC collection, as the JPG elements didn’t marry well in some pieces of the collection (see the tie top). 7.5/10 will be interesting to see the mechanisms of the two person looks off the runway

Elie Saab was, again, gowns. He tried to add men’s to this collection but he cheated us because they were just basic suits with an embroidered cape on top. There were more interesting motifs than Zuhair, though with 69 looks, I’d hope in the ten extra looks he conjured something of interest. 6.5/10 the bridal look was blush pink

Armani Privé was a slew of gold (in the form of 67 looks) for a very distinct audience: mothers and grandmothers that value simple shapes made special with embellishments. Not my idea of fun, but I know a few mama’s that would love it. Armani to me has the cohesivity that Chanel under Viginie’s helm only wishes for. 6.8/10 I get the vision, even if the vision isn’t for my eyes

Ronald Van der Kemp is the epitome of fun. Like Viktor&Rolf, he sometimes has too much fun, but this collection was very wearable for him. I loved the pink stripes, and think the way he mixed patterns was daring without clashing. 8.3/10 I’m pretty sure one of the models was Jenna Lyons

Alexandre Vauthier was 38 looks of nothing. No risks were taken, it felt like a mix of Saint Laurent RTW and Vauthier RTW. A real shame, considering last season was fun (capital F, proper adjective). 3.0/10 this season doesn’t compare to last. Objectively cute pieces though, but bored

Chanel Couture was definitely fun for Viginie and that’s all that matters. Like Valentino, Chanel has the couture book and the client loyalty so who cares that Temilayo doesn’t like 45/48 looks? I’m not the target. 5.1/10 there was potential and it felt like some of the pieces (notably the ones I liked most) needed one more revision to reach a level where choices truly felt intentional

AZ Factory Couture, though only 10 looks, was promising. I’m slightly biased because I love the team (they’re all so kind) but the brand is fun to its core, so obviously that translated to couture. 8.5/10 it was good and the shapes were yummy

Giambattista Couture did as Giambattista Couture does. They have a formula that is far from broken so I won’t berate anybody for not changing it… yet. 7.6/10 somehow the motifs don’t feel monotonous

Charles de Vilmorin Couture was fun. I’m sure not too many people have heard of the brand. Definitely a younger person’s couture. I see lots of potential with his brand but some of this 24-look collection left room for improvement. 7.1/10 he’s created space for the brand to take more risks and for better execution of said risks

Thom Browne was the king of translatable fun this season. Which is insane considering that this was his inaugural couture collection. Who else do you know that has the range to create 59 (!!) looks for their first couture collection? He had SO much fun with this collection; it told a story throughout. 9.1/10 there was significantly less chance of him going OTT though, because… it’s tailoring

Rahul Mishra is what Zuhair’s collections would be if he enjoyed what he does. The 44 looks told me one thing: Rahul loves a petal and a leaf motif. 7.7/10 some of his embroidery is ARTisanal, truly exemplary

Dior Couture continued to just coast in the middle for me. I am not Maria’s target by a long shot and that’s okay. Maria isn’t trying to be a Galliano level icon either, and that’s also okay. This was a collection of 67 looks, some more interesting silhouettes from the archives, where 95% of it can be described as “pretty”. 5.5/10

Iris van Herpen made me feel like she’s no longer having fun making her clothes. She used to be a major trailblazer for me; creating shapes and mechanisms. It simply doesn’t feel like that passion is there anymore and it hasn’t for, at minimum, the past two seasons. 6.3/10 felt a bit same-y

Schiaparelli Couture, the queen to Thom Browne’s king. My north star. Every season, it’s obvious that Daniel has fun creating his collections. And, unlike some of its counterparts, RTW and HC are similar but there are NOTICEABLE differences. To me, Daniel Roseberry is the poster child of Haute Couture fun. The collections are relatively small (in this case, 30 looks) but they’re usually all hits. He’s in his stride, having found the perfect balance between sticking to house codes whilst still experimenting and innovating within those confines. 9.5/10 I am the Schiaparelli client 

Ashi Studio was also relatively small, only being 25 looks but unlike Schiaparelli, this collection felt confused. Like they’re going through an identity crisis and wanted to emulate other couture houses doing well. 7.6/10 it was fun and sculptural, though

At the end of the road, here is my definitive ranking of each brand from least to most fun.

1. Alexandre Vauthier
2. Zuhair Murad
3. Fendi
4. Chanel
5. Dior
6. Iris Van Herpen
7. Valentino
8. Elie Saab
9. Armani Privé
10. Balenciaga
11. Charles de Vilmorin
12. JPG Julien
13. Ashi Studio
14. Giambattisa Valli
15. Viktor&Rolf
16. Rahul Mishra
17. Ronald Van der Kemp
18. AZ Factory
19. Thom Browne
20. Schiaparelli

Obviously, Schiaparelli is at the top this time, and I’m pretty sure they will remain there next couture season, but never say never. In a time where trends are micro, personal style is declining, and the wealthy are wealthier, the least they can do is have fun and turn a good look with that wealth. Therefore, couturiers have the responsibility to tailor to that look-turning, don’t you agree?

That’s all.