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You can watch Paris Haute Couture Week from your home

Updated / Monday, 6 Jul 2020 11:41
There might not be the physical shows we're used to, but you'll still be able to see collections from Dior, Chanel and more.
There might not be the physical shows we're used to, but you'll still be able to see collections from Dior, Chanel and more.

Fashion shows have a reputation for being exclusive events, and haute couture is a step above the norm.

Haute couture – which means high fashion in French – is all about unique, custom clothes made from expensive materials. Paris Haute Couture Week takes place twice a year, and only the top houses which have been invited into the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture can show. It’s a big deal – and the event definitely isn’t cancelled this season, with autumn/winter 2021 going ahead from July 6 to 8.

For safety reasons, these shows and presentations won’t have an audience – which means they’ll be streamed online for anyone to watch, not just the top fashion editors.

Naomi Campbell opened the digital event with a video in which she addresses issues of inequality and racism in the fashion industry.

Balmain’s show has already happened, and you can catch up with all the action on creative director Olivier Rousteing’s Instagram page. Many designers are using the digital format to explore new types of presentations, which aren’t tied to a physical catwalk event. This season, Rousteing set up a catwalk on a boat which sailed along the Seine through central Paris.

Schiaparelli has also already streamed a video to honour the event, which shows artistic director Daniel Roseberry sitting in a New York park sketching out the looks for the brand’s latest collection.

London Fashion Week recently staged its first-ever digital fashion week, and although it gave us a taste of how these online events might go down, few of the major labels were involved. However, the same cannot be said for Paris, as many of the big names are showing a collection or making a video for the occasion.

Here are some of the highlights, which will be hosted on the official website as well as individual platforms…

Dior

With normal fashion shows off the table, Dior’s doing something a little different this season. The French fashion house is still producing a couture collection, but it will be shrunk to 40% the size of the normal clothes. The opulent dresses will be worn by dolls, which is apparently a trend dating back to World War II where mini clothes were made and toured around the world to show haute couture was alive and well.

Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri told WWD: "During the lockdown, I saw many articles about the digital world, but honestly, fashion is not only digital. It’s not something you can only see. You have to touch it, you have to see the craftsmanship, especially in couture. In this way we can send the collection around the world to our clients."

The brand will be showing a short video about the collection on its website on July 6 at 1:30pm BST.

Iris van Herpen

Dutch designer Iris van Herpen is always a highlight of haute couture week, as she manages to fuse fashion and technology in an innovative and unique way. For the event, van Herpen will be streaming a short film on YouTube at 11am BST on July 6.

Ralph & Russo

Ralph & Russo is leaning into the digital side of things with its show. By the sneak previews, it looks like the new collection will not be modelled by a professional, but by a digitally created model with the backdrop of the seven wonders of the world. The video will be shown at 4pm BST on July 6.

Chanel

Chanel will open day two of the event with a presentation at 11am BST on July 7. Regular couture shows tend to be all about pomp and circumstance, but it’s likely this video will have more of a focus on the petites mains – who make the clothes – and what happens behind the scenes to put a collection together.

Valentino

Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli isn’t content with just a digital show this season. He’ll be showing a short video on the inspirations behind his latest collection – closing the event at 5pm BST on July 8 – and following this up with a live show on July 21 in Rome (which will also be streamed online).

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