Haute Couture Week SS25: The Best of Chanel, Valentino and More
Bespoke brilliance
The recent Haute Couture Week once again proves its place as the pinnacle of fashion, with Chanel embracing vibrant hues, Dior partnering with Rithika Merchant for an artistic touch, and Giorgio Armani drawing from the beauty of diverse cultures. Ahead, we round up five of our favourite shows this season.
Chanel
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Creative director: Chanel’s Fashion Creation Studio
Venue: The Grand Palais
Highlights of the collection: Chanel commemorates 110 years in Haute Couture with a collection that celebrates the power of colour—an enduring thread in Gabrielle Chanel’s legacy. Staged on a double C-shaped runway, the collection flows like the passage of time, moving from day to night. True to the House’s heritage, tweed takes centre stage in various interpretations, from a sunshine yellow tweed suit to a lilac tweed dress with box pleats. Between these, bold juxtapositions appear—an orange-pink coat draped over a purple jacquard dress, a mimosa-hued suit softened with pale pink flounces—each a study in Chanel’s mastery of colour and proportion.
Key pieces from the line: Fairytale elements weave through the collection, with dresses in varying lengths capturing the imagination—an embroidered red chiffon gown, a sweeping sky-blue cape, and a white sequinned dress layered under a champagne tweed coat. Black velvet belts, adorned with lunar and solar motifs, nod to Chanel’s affinity for black. And as tradition holds, the Chanel bride closes the show—this season in an A-line dress with a trailing train, paired with a sequinned tweed jacket with a pussy bow.
Dior
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Creative director: Maria Grazia Chiuri
Venue: Musée Rodin
Highlights of the collection: This season, Chiuri revisits the past, exploring transformation through fluid, time-honoured silhouettes. Taking cues from Yves Saint Laurent’s Trapèze line, the latest series redefines volume, enveloping the body in seamless draping that shifts with every moment. Rithika Merchant’s immersive artwork—nine paintings reinterpreted as monumental textile panels—enhances this vision, offering a rich meditation on womanhood through time.
Key pieces from the line: The Cigale silhouette returns in lustrous moiré, reshaped into a sculpted skirt and sharply tailored tailcoat. A feather-adorned organza cape and a floor-length gown with intricate burnished silver embroidery add to the drama. Meanwhile, the crinoline takes on a new identity, wrapped in cascading feathers and ethereal lace for an unexpected twist on tradition.
Valentino
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Creative director: Alessandro Michele
Venue: Palais Brongniart
Highlights of the collection: Michele’s Couture debut at Valentino reimagines heritage with a grand, theatrical flair, ushering history into a new era of opulence. ‘Vertigineux’ unfolds against a towering digital screen, flashing an endless list of inspirations like ‘Marie Antoinette,’ ‘Versailles,’ and ‘Palace.’ A harlequin-patterned dress opened the show, paving the way for the 47 remaining looks, each piece pulling from unique influences, yet always carrying his unmistakable DNA.
Key pieces from the line: This collection is a testament to his mastery of both extremes. Look 28—a purple embroidered cape paired with a baby blue bow—and Look 48, a red crocheted dress with raffia details, showcase Michele’s maximalist approach. But equally captivating are the minimalist moments, like Look 11, a sleek black gown with a delicate light blue overskirt, and Look 20, a striking red dress with cascading ruffles, both primed for the red carpet.
Giorgio Armani Privé
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Creative director: Giorgio Armani
Venue: Palazzo Armani
Highlights of the collection: Armani envisions a collection for the modern woman—one who carries the essence of her travels in every thread of her wardrobe. The palette moves from gold to greige, then black and white to soft pink, woven through his signature codes of sharp tailoring, fluid lines, and quiet sophistication. In some looks, flashes of amaranth, bronze, and deep blue emerge, as if gemstones have fused with the fabric.
Key pieces from the line: Inspired by landscapes across the world, the ‘Lumières’ collection distils their beauty into intricate prints and embroideries. Polynesia’s lush scenery unfolds in soft, watercolour-like prints across a two-piece suit and a sweeping gown. Elsewhere, India’s opulence, Japan’s precise lines and North Africa’s regal charm take shape in cropped jackets and structured blazers that feel as weightless as light itself. Tying it all together, a discreet headpiece catches the light with a quiet, lunar glow.
Schiaparelli
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Creative director: Daniel Roseberry
Venue: Petit Palais
Highlights of the collection: Roseberry reimagines nostalgia with a contemporary edge, layering history and modernity in a palette of soft yellows, deep saffrons, peacock greens, and burnt browns. Classic silhouettes evolve—ultrasuede blazers are intricately embroidered with silk satin threadwork, while sharp-shouldered pre-war jackets are redefined with elongated lines, styled with the ’90s-style bias-cut column skirts in double satin.
Key pieces from the line: A softly structured A-line dress stands out, its silhouette skimming the hips with subtle padding to contour the bust. The collection also nods to Elsa’s legacy with a sand-toned plissé halter gown in polyamide tulle, designed for both movement and elegance. No detail is overlooked—shoes and bags become objets d’art, adorned with embellishments ranging from Matador cording to resin rosettes.
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