Day 1 at Haute Couture Week with Declan Chan
Jul 06, 2021
My first couture week after lockdown kicked off with Maison Alaia. It is Pieter Mulier’s debut at the house, in which he delivered a respectful yet modernised collection. All the biggest designers in fashion were in presence at the show i.e. Raf Simons, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Matthew Williams … to celebrate his first collection followed by an intimate dinner.
The following morning I went to Louis Vuitton Vendome store for a presentation with Monsieur Jacques Cavallier Belletrud alongside a limited number of press for the “High-End Collectoin” perfume. The French Master Parfumer gave a presentation on his new vision for the house Extrait de Parfum line – “High-end collection”, five new feminine fragrances. The bottle is drawn by Franck Gehry. A collaboration, a conversation between two creators around movement, freedom and optimism gave life to this celebration of feminine hidden beauty and extraordinary journeys.
Before lunch, I made a quick stop at the Dior Men showroom next to Arc de Triomphe. Another extraordinary collaborative work, between Kim Jones and his muse Travis Scott. The ready to wear room mimics part of the show set decor, the cactus heavy Texan landscape Travis grew up around. I had a closer look at numerous detailed pieces that I’d missed during the show, the house signature Saddle bag that was interpreted as a real rodeo double bag or the beautiful series of shirts handpainted by George Condo.
In the afternoon, I went to Ruslan Baginskiy hats pop up in the cool boutique Paradise Garage. Ruslan’s perfect location for the event is the seaside. It reminds him of his childhood memories of vacations and the newspaper sub hats he made with his mother. Instead of going there, he brought part of the sand beach to Paris.
Then Ruslan came with me to the Dior Couture show. We had to rush a bit cause the location was on the other side of La Seine, at Rodin Museum. It’s the main event of the day. It’s a stunning collection with grey and cream palette, and a lot of tweed. Celebrity in attendance includes Jennifer Lawrence, Florence Pugh, Jessica Chastain and Cara Delevingne…
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See also: Louis Vuitton’s Fall-Winter 2021 Showcase unveils the Felt Line