Doll's Eye View: Paris Couture Spring 2022

 

If only this French couture season was just that cheerful... Covid served the knockout punch once again, this season. Only 16 houses put on a performance and most of that was...well...dreary at best. Much of what was shown was not inspiring. Colors ran from washed out neutrals to somber.  Instead of being inspired, I focused on details then incorporated them into what I thought could be a slightly better option. Of the 16 Haute Couture presentations....this was all I could come up with.... Not enough to put into themes. Not enough to waste time, effort and fabric... 

But here...this is what we were able to salvage.

Precious metals.... Stephane Rolland is not a household name, but he does deliver some luxurious and exotic looks. However...the strength of these golden ensembles relies on amazing fabric! You could perhaps make a 1/6 scale version of either of these two looks, but if you don't have super beautiful fabric...well, the result just won't be the same. Ditto with the Dior dress. Really, there is nothing to write home about! Personally, the girls prefer silver for the winter holidays. My younger girls likes the edginess of Zuhair Murad's suit. I just didn't have enough chain on hand to offer up a simplified version.

And well, here we are again, back at the house of Stephane Rolland. These two looks are simply FYI. I attempted a dolly version of these two looks with their dramatic collars. My efforts tended to swallow up dolly. If you tone down the volume....you lose the drama of the look! And then there's classic Chanel.... Always tasteful, but this season....nothing out of the ordinary.

So...what did the girls settle on? (You know they weren't going to leave Paris empty-handed!!!

Charlize is a huge fan of texture which is why she opted for this look from the house of Jean Paul Gaultier. (Mind you, the namesake designer no longer works for his house.) Unfortunately I did not have enough fabric to recreate this dress in this color, so instead I opted for this aqua permanent pleated organza version. (See our Tutorial for permanent pleating) Instead of a plain corset, I used embroidered taffeta. The result is a summer lightness that even the orignal does not convey.

Tatyana loved the detailing over the bust of this Valentino gown. But the color of the original seems to melt into the model's skin tone, the dress seemed so stiff, and who puts pockets on the front of an evening gown?!. So we gave Tatyana's version more asymmetrical draping radiating from the side of the torso. And we incorporated a rectangle of two-tone printed chiffon that sweeps over one shoulder, across the back and into a shawl over the opposite arm.

Zoe is a real fan of the little black dress, no matter the season. She opted for this simple black tretch velvet strapless gown by Dior but felt the collar didn't make sense. Instead we dressed up the look by draping a floor length black chiffon train. The white opera length gloves and pearl jewelry adds a bit more of old school class.

We love lace in my house. But my girls didn't like the sloppy look signed Alexis Mabille. There was nothing that suggests couture here to us, including the fabric. However for Ingrid, we found a really pretty length of lace that had more spring and bounce. It cradles the body instead of drooping off the shoulders. The lace wraps around the body twice asymmetrically, though we did add an under slip so it is not totally sheer.   

At first glance, I thought this was a snakeskin printed dress and boots with a fur coat. But upon closer inspection, it is a lace dress and boots with a feather coat. In any case the end result looks more suitable for winter and, quite honestly....nothing special. If the girls are going to go all the way to Paris for clothes...they want something with a little more creativity. Again, we do love lace but we especially love TEXTURE!  So Chrissie's look begins with a two-piece lace dress with matching lace boots. And though we started out with a similar jacket...we all decided that the jacket (originally created by Venezuelan born, Maurizio Galante) was a more interesting choice. The jacket is made of a cotton base over which there are strings of paper squares attached. (See Tutorial) Chrissie thinks this looks more springtime than the feather jacket!

Marpessa loved the lightness of the dress from Dior. She even liked the way it flutters over the bust line. But the color and shape was too....frumpy...almost like one of those awkward bridesmaid's dresses. The first version I made came close to the original silhouette complete with belted bodice, but to Marpessa's eyes...it resembled more a prom dress than a couture gown. So we reverted to a slimming A-line silhouette with a bodice made from tiny squares made from dryer sheets! 

And then there was this look by Alexandre Vaultier. What season is this again!!! I'll be honest. I really don't care for the "Leg of Lamb" sleeves. (Reminds me of those tacky wedding dresses from the 1980's!) But they seem to be on trend right now, so I gave in to the pleas of Jolie. Instead of the thud of black, however, I took a tip from the Valentino r-t-w collection and zapped this look with shocking pink instead. Jolie can hardly wait for Easter!!!

We'll stop there because...the Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear collections have started in New York and with a little luck...more clothes are on the way!

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