The first day of the Spring 2021 haute couture fashion shows did not disappoint

In a world where ready-to-wear looks increasingly casual to match the current state of pandemic dressing, it’s exhilarating to witness the wild freedom of couture. Today was the first day of the spring 2021 fashion shows, and Schiaparelli, Dior and Iris van Herpen went all out.

Over the past week, many of us were invigorated as we watched Lady Gaga serenade the country in a custom Schiaparelli dress – just one of the outfits that got us fashionable at the White House. Schiaparelli has a moment, and all eyes are on Creative Director David Roseberry. Her spring 2021 collection might not work for a grand opening, but it certainly reflects the spirit of Gaga, a pop star who is fascinated by pushing the boundaries of the human body.

Apparently, Roseberry also has a thing for anatomy. The collection included a gold breastplate of a nursing baby, toothed earrings made of pearls, gold toes on the tips of the shoes and a couture revival of her six-pack bustier. (The last of them effectively abolished the need to work out – who needs the gym when you can have some tailoring?) The clothes are incredibly complex: a padded body-con dress, for example, is adorned with thousands of bugle beads in Schiaparelli’s signature electric pink, mimicking ripped abs, traps and biceps.

Everything is ripe for making memes, but Roseberry wanted to make a bigger statement: to challenge the idea of ​​couture as a space for “polished clothes” and “dresses as harmlessly pretty as something. a fairy tale”. For him, the fantasy is inside. “These are clothes that make you aware of the fact of your body, that makes you think about how you move around the world,” he explained in the show’s notes. “Elsa Schiaparelli encouraged a childish, non-neurotic exploration of the human form. His clothes were meant to celebrate the joy of the peacock, the joy of showing off.

Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, however, is completely grounded in the fairy tale, and she appeals to the Bridgerton– obsessed with his spring 2021 couture collection. This season, unfortunately, there are no excited tree nymphs, but there are personifications of the major arcana in tarot decks, such as the high priestess, the empress , justice and the madman. In the presentation video above, by Italian director Matteo Garrone, a rather dark and contemplative young Frenchwoman all in black asks: “Who am I?” at the prompt of an elderly tarot reader. Obviously, this leads to a trip to a castle where she meets the Arcana dressed in Dior couture. (Spoiler alert: it all ends with the girl kissing… with herself.)

And then there was the Spring 2021 show by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, titled “Roots of Rebirth”. Known for combining craftsmanship with technologies such as 3D printing, she has added elements of nature and an experimental pop star, Sevdaliza, to the mix for 2021. In this collection and in life, mushrooms are the answer. – the “wood-scale web,” as van Herpen puts it, which is a microcosm of our functioning society. The folds resembled the gills of mushrooms, and the silhouettes and ornaments were inspired by mycelium, the roots of mushrooms with intricate ramifications.

Tomorrow we will have collections from Chanel and Valentino. Hopefully more magic, more mushrooms, and more big swings.