Alexis Mabille is in charge of kicking off the second day of the Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture season. Far from betting on fashion films or revolutionary formulas, the French designer remains firm in the traditional fashion show format (this time without an audience), and the models walk through a colonnaded courtyard wearing elegant evening dresses, emblem of the Maison. Sophistication and feminine silhouettes charged with energy, with puffed sleeves and structures that accents the waist.
Stéphane Rolland opts instead for a reduction to the essence. His muse, the Spanish top model Nieves Álvarez, wears the different creations, in which the volumes in sleeves, the oversized skirts, and the flamenco inspiration, patent in the music, stand out. The intimate light contrasts with the black and white combo prevailing in the collection, reminiscent of a classic theatre tragicomedy.
Chanel is reluctant to abandon the face-to-face shows, proving that it is possible to hold a major event while preserving the security measures that the current situation requires. The Grand Palais, this time decorated with floral ornaments, takes us to a wedding in the south of France. Virginie Viard opts for naturalness, fluidity, and illusion. Femininity is impregnated with certain masculinity, blurring the boundaries of gender without losing sophistication. Among the guests, we find Chanel global ambassadors such as Penélope Cruz or Marion Cotillard.
Valentino moves to the Galleria Colonna, Sala Grande in Rome, in his new Haute Couture show, bringing to life a chronological transfer of pattern and code. The essence of Pierpaolo Piccioli, who has not ceased to impress in his last works for the Italian Maison, remains intact, but a simplification of the aesthetic codes is noted. Vibrant hues dye the garments which seem more functional on this occasion. It is in the last part of the presentation, which lasts almost twenty minutes, when the Creative Director exhibits his creativity in its purest form, in an atmosphere painted in gold. The different garments blend with the ornamentation of the museum room in a delicate and exciting show.
The video created by Julien Fournié bets everything on movement, rhythm, and enjoyment. First Storm, his new proposal, seems like a play reminiscent of bygone eras, in which the designer himself makes a stellar appearance to refer to the meaning (or lack of meaning) of the world in which we live.
Alexandre Vauthier goes clubbing in his new collection, to the rhythm of disco music, colored lights, and a very appetizing retro aesthetic. Empowerment, self-confidence, and attitude to combat the tragic situation that the world is experiencing due to the pandemic. Brightness, sensuality, and plenty of light to face the future with optimism.
A journey through time is what Ronald van der Kemp opts for, whose proposal is one of the most disruptive. Wardrobe 13: Behind Close Doors, his new collection, immerses us in an enigmatic story through light effects, rhythm changes, and a haunting soundtrack.
Giorgio Armani returns to his native country to pay tribute to Milan, presenting his collection for the first time at Palazzo Orsini, the heart of his atelier in the Italian city. He revisits his career in fashion maintaining the most recognized codes of the Maison, in his continuous search for perfection and the confluence of light and color in elegant dresses.
And the last presentation of the day is the official debut of AZ Factory, the new project undertaken by Alber Elbaz, which he refers to as “the birth of a factory”. In his first collection, the designer simulates a TV show program under the title of The Show Fashion. A new way of understanding fashion with a promising future.
