Spring/summer 2024 (part 1)

Haley Sengsavanh reports on the spring/summer 2024 collections by major fashion maisons

Alexander McQueen

After 13 years as creative director of Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton presented her final collection as an ode to female empowerment and anatomy. Red and pink ruffled dresses billowed down the runway in a tribute to the British rose or vulval folds. Burton also featured fierce leather corsets, metallic fringe dresses and impeccably tailored suits – a legacy-leaving callback to her classic silhouettes.

Balenciaga

The SS24 collection from Demna Gvasalia celebrated both the act of creating garments and their wearers’ personal expression. Balenciaga subverted everyday dress codes by adding wide exaggerated shoulder pads to blazers, extra sleeves to trench coats, and featured a bathrobe made from a lower-impact leather alternative called Lunaform.

Balmain

Olivier Rousteing presented a fanatically floral collection as a proud celebration of French luxury fashion. Sharply tailored dresses and blazers were adorned with gold buttons, reminiscent of Balmain couture collections from the 1950s and ’90s. The rose motif was used creatively throughout, from shoulder bags that looked like a bouquet to a red patent- leather coat crawling with roses.

Bottega Veneta

Drawing inspiration from South America, Southeast Asia, Russia, Brittany, Sicily and more, Matthieu Blazy created his own environmentally-focused culture for the Bottega Veneta SS24 show. His fun yet functional pieces included a beautiful yellow eyelet sundress with natural pearl straps, and strappy leather sandals created to resemble banana leaves.

Burberry

For his second Burberry show, Daniel Lee imbued the “London take” on common wardrobe codes. Double- breasted tonic suits were a nod to the famed tailors on Savile Row, and the bold flower- and fruit-printed dresses and skirts were a tribute to English summer gardens. The signature Burberry Prorsum logo was subtly featured across shield- shaped hardware on bags, sunglasses and more. See if you can spot it!

Celine

For this collection, Hedi Slimane mixed the emerging preppy trend with his classic indie-sleaze aesthetic to create a sexy and carefree collection. Tiny leather skirts, low-waisted skinny jeans, flowy leopard-print dresses and sequin cardigans will have you looking like a model off-duty, and turning heads while
you run errands.

Chanel

For SS24, Virginie Viard embodied a young woman on an easy-living French vacation. Gauzy fabrics and bright patterns in the form of faux beach-blanket cover-ups, flowy maxi dresses and slouchy trousers ruled the day. But take careful note of the matching accessories too: long strands of gold chains and pearls, gold cuffs and Chanel camera bags as a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld’s love of photography.

Chloé

The signature feminine and floral sensibility of Chloé was given a “cowboy-cowgirl” Uruguayan twist this season. Gabriela Hearst presented crisp linen trousers with a bolo tie belt and blazers with gold- tipped lapels paired with white lace dresses with Western boots. She also continued to use her collection to champion sustainability, utilising 70% low-impact wovens and 80% low-impact knitwear.

Christian Dior

This witchy Parisian neo-grunge collection was inspired by women rebels like Ingrid Bergman as Joan of Arc and Maria Callas as Medea. Sticking to a simple colour palette of black, white, blue and tan, Maria Grazia Chiuri presented cobweb-like lace dresses, flame-singed denim jackets and skirts, and jackets emblazoned with a blurry monochrome image of the Eiffel Tower.

Dries Van Noten

The famed Belgian designer combined traditionally masculine styles with feminine touches this season, which he described as “things that you really know but done in a completely upside- down, inside-out, special, strange way.” A blue striped button-up was elongated and twisted into a chic dress, rugby shirts were retrofitted with corset detailing, and khaki cargo pants became an asymmetrical skirt.

Fendi

This season, Kim Jones created a colourful sartorial fantasy informed by the practicality of Roman style and Karl Lagerfeld’s Spring 1999 Fendi show. Some of the sorbet-coloured offerings included a silky baby blue column dress and casually layered canary yellow cardigans over a tank top. Jones also revived the abstract 1990 puzzle- print double-F logo, splashing it across dresses and coats.

Ferragamo

In his third show for Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis presented Tuscan elegance influenced by Italian marble, the work of 18th- century artist Agostino Brunias and Renaissance armour. Davis expertly wove all these concepts together into a tight collection full of sheer tunics, flowing dresses with leather accents, and chic blazers and coats. The accessories were stellar as well, including trendy clutches with asymmetrical flaps and hugely oversized leather tote bags.

Giorgio Armani

Entitled Vibes, this Giorgio Armani collection was dreamy, shimmery and definitely lived up to its name. Using fluid silks, ombré sequins and beaded mesh, these delicate garments are perfect for sashaying into a luxury resort. Highlights included a turquoise trench coat made from long seaweed-like strips of fabric and a pair of pastel cloud- print pants layered underneath a sparkly dusty-pink skirt.

Givenchy

This much-anticipated collection from Matthew M Williams was the perfect balance between classical style and a contemporary outlook. Deep-V blouses, garter-fastened leather skirts and cross-draped sheer chiffon dresses exemplified this attitude. He also referenced a Givenchy dress Audrey Hepburn wore in a 1963 Vogue shoot, reconfiguring it into a black bow over-the-shoulder bodice layered over silk maxis and silver beaded fringe.

Gucci

Sabato De Sarno made his Gucci debut with a sensual and chic collection, in stark contrast to his predecessor Alessandro Michele’s wacky and wild style. He signified a new era of Gucci through mini slip dresses edged with lace, and lots of stellar patent-leather looks, such as a burgundy blazer with only belted tan leather underwear underneath.

Hermès

This season, Nadège Vanhee- Cybulski came out with a quintessentially Hermès collection: effortless-looking while being extreme luxury. She designed the fabric for the summer dresses to be stamped into the same zig-zag pattern as the brand’s classic brogues. Even the rich earthy tones were an in-house reference to the exact shades used for its leather goods, such as the Rouge H burgundy and Opera Red scarlet.

Isabel Marant

Isabel Marant presented a seductive yet sensible take on femininity this season, showcasing the brand’s ability to contrast yet balance. Artistic Director Kim Bekker said, “It’s a new energy, more mystical, a bit more pure.” Big leather jackets were created in bright red and paired with leather mini shorts, while delicate lace lingerie was styled with full-length parachute toile parkas.

Jil Sander

In this collection, Lucie and Luke Meier kept the classic aesthetic while experimenting with shapes. They created an extra- square silhouette for their boxy blazers by adding width at the shoulders, added metal discs to the collar points of their button- down shirts, and designed oversized vests with large chrome-outlined twin portholes on the upper chest.

Also see: Fashion Asia and I.T host exhibition to spotlight Hong Kong fashion designers