5 Takeaways From Spring 2019 Couture

If fashion were attached to an EKG machine today, it would be recording huge spikes around menswear and healthy ones around couture, the most exalted expression of the craft. What’s behind the upswing? In part, greater visibility for all via digital media. Also, a new mix of talents with fresh points of view, like Iris van Herpen who is exploring customizable technologies. At Maison Margiela, John Galliano has taken on the role of disruptor and is exploring the boundaries of dimensions and technology.

There’s room in the rarefied world of couture to indulge in fantasy; no one is channeling it more intensely and poetically than Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino. For Spring, he reimagined Horst P. Horst’s 1948 photo for Vogue of Charles James dresses on women of color. His celebration of vibrant hues and diversity was the season’s tour de force. Proving that couture can be lighthearted and entertaining were Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, who took his guests on an Italianate jaunt with a collection filled with petal-light dresses, and Maria Grazia Chiuri at Christian Dior, who literally brought the circus to town.

Taken as a whole, though, this was a season infused with a sense of pragmatism. The Spring couture shows are close to awards season, and numbers of the big evening looks seemed designed with this in mind. Unexpected were designers’ forays beyond the statement dress. At Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller gave latex a boost, for example. Then there were pantsuits every bit as embellished as gowns. Most surprising were the number of custom maillots and shorts. The couture, it seems, has a new brief.

Spring 2019 Couture Trends: Pretty in Pinks

Pretty in Pinks
Traditionally, bespoke has been the domain of men, couture of women. That’s changing (see Maison Margiela Artisanal), but, coming on the heels of the menswear season, designers’ across-the-board use of pink felt like a celebration, and an affirmation, of girl power. The spectrum of hues was incredibly broad—from the pale blush of a rose petal to shocking tones that would have made Elsa Schiaparelli proud—and thus attractive to a wide spectrum of women.

Spring 2019 Couture Trends: The Dressy Pantsuit

The Dressed-Up Pantsuit
Influencers might have helped boost the pantsuit trend, but there’s little likelihood that you’ll see any of the made-for-evening versions shown for Spring 2019 being paraded on the street at the upcoming ready-to-wear shows. Getups like Elie Saab’s pastel beaded tailleur take the idea of black tie beyond Le Smoking that Yves Saint Laurent popularized for women, which was rethought at Christian Dior and Alexandre Vauthier.

Spring 2019 Couture Trends: Beachy Keen

Beachy Keen
Yes, the couture maillot is a thing. Believe it or not, Karl Lagerfeld’s “mariée,” Vittoria Ceretti, was clad in a bedazzling one-piece. She wasn’t the only model to appear in swimwear, either, Zuhair Murad and Ralph & Russo took the dive as well. Whether these suits can withstand water is an open question, but it’s safe to assume that the shorts shown during the season are dry-clean only.

Spring 2019 Couture Trends: The Really Big Bow

The Really Big Bow
Over time, bows, like the color pink, have become symbols of femininity. Clare Waight Keller exploded the idea of the bow as frivolous decoration by turning outsize ones into backpacks. A similarly XXL bow, attached to the back of a marigold-color gown at Valentino, created the effect of angel wings.

Spring 2019 Couture Trends: Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies
While John Galliano was after “new realities” at Margiela Artisanal, elsewhere designers were preoccupied with romantic gestures in tulle. The resulting veiled looks seemed to touch on the ethereal, transcendent beauty often found in Spanish Colonial art and Mexican retablos depicting Madonnas and saints. Call them blessings in disguise.

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