Couture Corsets Grace the Fall 2023 Runways
Models were laced-up and cinched-in at the Paris couture shows this season as corseted looks continued to dominate on the runway.
For centuries the corset was used to constrict the female form, but for fall 2023, designers let loose, metaphorically of course, using corsets as a base for whimsical silhouettes.
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One of these was Texan Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli who “worked an extreme hourglass figure with designs like a nude lace gown with a cutout corseted satin bustier,” observed WWD Paris bureau chief Joelle Diderich. His body-conscious looks were further contrasted with whorled sleeves, maxi collars and cascading trains.
“I just want people to be overwhelmed by the joy and the creativity coming from inside the house, and also the freedom and the risk-taking every season,” Roseberry said.
Other experimental plays on historical silhouettes included Thom Browne, whose classic gray suit jackets were shrugged down to the hips to add volume in lieu of panniers, and Elie Saab, who cited Hollywood depictions of female monarchs as his inspiration. Saab’s ruby red satin gown with ruched draping would certainly be regal enough for Elizabeth I, or at least Cate Blanchett’s turn as the queen in the 1998 film adaptation.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Ashi, who made history by becoming the first Saudi Arabian designer to show on the official couture week calendar, defied the modesty stereotypes associated with his region, cutting into corsets that exposed the midriff and breasts.
In her review, Diderich noted these owed a debt to Jean Paul Gaultier, who notoriously pioneered the use of underwear as outerwear in couture. Sitting in the front row, fashion’s “enfant terrible” no doubt recognized a few of his most famous corseted looks reinterpreted by his guest designer this season, Julien Dossena. The velvet knee-length dress shown here was worn by Laetitia Casta, who first walked for the house’s spring 1994 show.
Elsewhere, Chanel and Viktor & Rolf got in on the illusion trend with transparent boning and Yuima Nakazato gave the corset a street-smart update with high-waisted voluminous pants.
Launch Gallery: Couture Fall 2023 Trend: Corsets
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