Couture Spring 2022 Is Fashion Week for Books

At the start of the spring 2022 couture show, we were resigned to the fact that Kanye West and Julia Fox were about to make a new Paris Fashion Week about them. As it turns out, we underestimated the extent to which the scene was only recently revived, because within days, it was the most-played runway. The major change was first seen in Schiaparelli, who found creative director Daniel Roseberry in his true prime. He began by acknowledging what everyone thought in the show’s somewhat existential record: “Fashion has emphasized its relevance over the past two years, but I can sense that even some practitioners are no longer convinced.” Now that the week is over, we think it’s safe to say couture has changed its mind. Follow the most notable moments below.

Travel to Planet Schiaparelli

Roseberry has almost single-handedly injected hope back into the fashion industry with a show unlike any other we’ve seen amid the pandemic. “Planet Schiaparelli,” as it’s called home behind the scenes, is a celebration of otherworldly surrealism infused with 24-carat gold leaf. The fact that many of the looks are barely wearable is part of what made Schiaparelli couture so successful. “I think they might want to be photographed in it, but it’s more of an object to have as a statue,” said Roseberry W her couture clients after the show.

Street Style A+

Schiaparelli isn’t the only show where runway theater is brought to the pavement. Cold weather, damn it: Street style is alive and well once again.

All-Star Cast in Valentino

Jean Paul Gaultier 2.0

Glenn Martens talent seemed to know no bounds. Already playing double duty between being inventive on Y/Project and relatively mainstream on Diesel, the 38-year-old tried his hand at Jean Paul Gaultier’s drama—and sure enough, it worked. First, there’s the collection: Martens demonstrates a deep understanding of the house code while still keeping the collection his own. Then, there was a reaction: Mode Runway got excited on Twitter fashion until finally posting the collection in the afternoon. At that moment, those present excitedly shared many performances, and the enthusiasm and jokes made another wave of joy.

Chanel Horse Games

Honestly, this one has nothing to do with clothes. Even now that most of us have moved away from digital presentations, the usual theater and runway antics aren’t back yet. Kudos to Virginie Viard for resurrecting them on Chanel, interrupting the video of Charlotte Casiraghi on a horse with a real life performance of Charlotte Casiraghi on a real life horse. Great-grandson Grace Kelly, who is eleventh in line to the Monaco throne, happened to be an accomplished equestrian; on his last lap on the runway, he even ran fast.