Vidostream | News, sport and opinion from the Vidostream's US Edition

https://vidostream.com

Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman among stars at Paris couture week

Nicole Kidman attended Balenciaga's Fall 2025 Couture show in Paris.
Nicole Kidman attended Balenciaga's Fall 2025 Couture show in Paris. Jacopo Raule/Getty Images
Paris (CNN) — After a week’s pause following the men’s fashion shows, celebrities, editors and influencers were back in Paris for Haute Couture — where bespoke collections are shown and eventually sold to the world’s wealthiest customers.

The official fall 2025 schedule felt lighter than usual, with absences from major labels like Valentino (the brand only stages a couture show once a year) and Dior (whose new creative director, Jonathan Anderson, was only appointed a month ago). Many houses are also awaiting official runway debuts from their new designers in September — among these include Chanel, Gucci, Balenciaga, Loewe, and Bottega Veneta. However, there were some bright spots.

Margiela: A new chapter

Glenn Martens’ first outing as the creative director of Maison Margiela was a formidable debut. True to Margiela’s love for upcycling and reinvention, repurposed materials were given new life, including leather jackets distressed to a cracked, decaying finish. A bodycon dress was stitched from prints of moulding and wallpapers, with raw, fraying edges and paired with a papier-mâché–style mask. Several silhouettes were encased in rigid, transparent plastic shells, and veiled, sometimes with bejeweled faces.

 

The show had a gothic atmosphere. Walls were clad in peeling photocopies of aristocratic moldings, a trompe-l’œil effect that also appeared on the clothes.
The show had a gothic atmosphere. Walls were clad in peeling photocopies of aristocratic moldings, a trompe-l’œil effect that also appeared on the clothes. 
Courtesy Maison Margiela

 

 

Glenn Martens — a fellow Belgian, like the brand’s founder Martin Margiela himself, and a native of Bruges — has long drawn inspiration from the city’s medieval cathedrals and Flemish art.
Glenn Martens — a fellow Belgian, like the brand’s founder Martin Margiela himself, and a native of Bruges — has long drawn inspiration from the city’s medieval cathedrals and Flemish art. 
Courtesy Maison Margiela

Chanel’s anglomania

Chanel presented its last collection designed by its in-house studio, which has been responsible for the French luxury house’s designs following the departure of its creative director Virginie Viard in June 2024 and ahead of her successor Mathieu Blazy’s arrival (he will present his first collection this fall).

Traditionally held under the glass nave of the Grand Palais, this season, guests were requested to enter through a side entrance into a quieter wing of the building. Here, the brand recreated founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s original couture salons, featuring plush cream carpeting, quilted seating, mirrored walls, and softly lit interiors. A golden wheat stalk and a name tag were placed on each seat — including one for Lorde, who was seated alongside Gracie Abrams, Naomi Campbell, and Caroline de Monaco.

 

Lorde and Gracie Abrams on the front row of Chanel's fall 2025 Haute Couture show in Paris.
Lorde and Gracie Abrams on the front row of Chanel's fall 2025 Haute Couture show in Paris. 
Swan Gallet/WWD/Getty Images

The collection drew from Coco Chanel’s lifelong affair with British culture — especially the Scottish Highlands, where she first discovered tweed during her decade-long romance with Hugh Grosvenor, the second Duke of Westminster. Standout looks included a chartreuse tweed blouson paired with a baby-blue satin draped skirt; a black satin halter-neck gown cinched with a utility belt complete with flap pockets; and a double-breasted tweed coat layered over a tiered pleated skirt trimmed with lace.

“There was something incredibly graceful and airy… like a fairy tale… coupled with very structured shoulders,” Caroline de Maigret, a model and longtime muse of the brand, told CNN after the show. “It was a powerful yet graceful woman — and it was almost goth sometimes.”

 

 

The collection, designed by Chanel's in-house design studio, drew from its founder Coco Chanel's lifelong affair with British culture.
The collection, designed by Chanel's in-house design studio, drew from its founder Coco Chanel's lifelong affair with British culture. 
Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Designer Demna (who only goes by his first name) staged his final collection for Balenciaga, ahead of his departure for Gucci. To mark the end of his ten-year tenure at the house, a plethora of famous faces turned up to show their support. That included Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Alexis Stone (channeling Morticia Addams, complete with “Thing” on their shoulder), Patrick Schwarzenegger, Katy Perry, recently wedded Lauren Sánchez Bezos — even Demna’s successor, Pierpaolo Piccioli.

 

Balenciaga's couture collection felt like a natural continuation of exiting designer Demna’s work.
Balenciaga's couture collection felt like a natural continuation of exiting designer Demna’s work. 
Courtesy Balenciaga

On the runway, Kim Kardashian appeared in a white silk gown inspired by the one worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1958 film “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and paired with earrings once owned by Taylor herself. Also walking the show was French actress Isabelle Huppert, a longtime ambassador of the brand.

Inspired by the “dress codes of “La Bourgeoisie”, as Demna stated in the show notes, the collection featured polka-dot coat dresses with exaggerated satin lapels; a sculpted black leather gown with an hourglass silhouette; and a houndstooth ensemble referencing founder Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 1967 design, which was worn by his muse Danielle Slavik. Waxed floral prints — a nod to Demna’s grandmother’s tablecloths as well as his early work at Vetements, the edgy label he co-founded — reappeared in the form of a belted, floor-length skirt-suit.

 

A bevy of famous faces, including Naomi Watts and Kai Schreiber, turned up to show their support at the Balenciaga show...
A bevy of famous faces, including Naomi Watts and Kai Schreiber, turned up to show their support at the Balenciaga show... Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

 

 

... As did 'The White Lotus' star Patrick Schwarzenegger.
... As did "The White Lotus" star Patrick Schwarzenegger. 
Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images

Giambattista Valli: an Italian in Paris

Italian fashion designer Giambattista Valli combined two milestones in one day: After being named Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at a medal ceremony held at his headquarters, he presented his latest couture collection featuring voluminous sorbet dresses with intricately embroidered flowers and “colors you want to smell and eat,” the designer told CNN during the presentation, which he opted for this season instead of a runway show. France’s Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, was in attendance.

Of the award, Valli said: “It’s an extraordinary recognition.” He added: “It’s beautiful to be honored by a country that is half my life — a country that gave me a volume to my voice, that taught me so much.”

 

Spectacular gowns in soft colors, such as light pinks (pictured), yellow, orange and baby blue, featured in Giambattista Valli's couture show.
Spectacular gowns in soft colors, such as light pinks (pictured), yellow, orange and baby blue, featured in Giambattista Valli's couture show. 
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

 

 

Kim Kardashian is seen leaving Balenciaga's headquarters during Paris Fashion Week wearing a neon pink dress. She later attended the Couture show wearing a white gown.
Kim Kardashian is seen leaving Balenciaga's headquarters during Paris Fashion Week wearing a neon pink dress. She later attended the Couture show wearing a white gown. 
Jacopo Raule/Getty Images

 

 

 

From left: Hunter Schafer, Karol G, Dua Lipa and Cardi B at the Schiaparelli show.
From left: Hunter Schafer, Karol G, Dua Lipa and Cardi B at the Schiaparelli show. 
Courtesy Schiaparelli

 

 

Embellished matador jackets were among the most memorable offerings of Schiaparelli.
Embellished matador jackets were among the most memorable offerings of Schiaparelli. Courtesy Schiaparelli

 

 

Schiaparelli's ethereal approach also extended to the makeup, as models wore black lipstick.
Schiaparelli's ethereal approach also extended to the makeup, as models wore black lipstick. 
Courtesy Schiaparelli

 

 

 

At Giorgio Armani Privé, the collection was titled 'Noir Séduisant' and was a luxurious meditation on the possibilities of black.
At Giorgio Armani Privé, the collection was titled "Noir Séduisant" and was a luxurious meditation on the possibilities of black. 
Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

 

 

Elie Saab reportedly rewatched of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 cult classic “Marie Antoinette” during the design process of creating his new collection.
Elie Saab reportedly rewatched of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 cult classic “Marie Antoinette” during the design process of creating his new collection. 
Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images

 

 

The timeless, elegant gowns by Elie Saab were reminiscent of royalty.
The timeless, elegant gowns by Elie Saab were reminiscent of royalty. 
Francois Durand/Getty Images

 

 

The idea of form and shape was explored at Viktor & Rolf. The above image shows the same dress — one inflated, one not.
The idea of form and shape was explored at Viktor & Rolf. The above image shows the same dress — one inflated, one not. 
Manon Cruz/Reuters

 

 

One of Robert Wun's most memorable looks was a celestial embroidered gown complete with two extra fake arms for an otherworldly silhouette.
One of Robert Wun's most memorable looks was a celestial embroidered gown complete with two extra fake arms for an otherworldly silhouette. 
Justin Shin/Getty Images

 

 

Italian designer Giambattista Valli was named Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at a medal ceremony held at his headquarters during couture week.
Italian designer Giambattista Valli was named Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at a medal ceremony held at his headquarters during couture week. 
Francois Durand/Getty Images

 

 

 

His collection featured gowns in pastel shades — “colors you want to smell and eat,” the designer told CNN during the presentation.
His collection featured gowns in pastel shades — “colors you want to smell and eat,” the designer told CNN during the presentation. 
Francois Durand/Getty Images

 

 

For her couture show, eponymous designer Iris van Herpen grew a dress out of bioluminescent algae whose glow reacted to movement.
For her couture show, eponymous designer Iris van Herpen grew a dress out of bioluminescent algae whose glow reacted to movement. 
Manon Cruz/Reuters

 

Author: Alice Pfeiffer, CNN

Source: CNN:::

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.
You did not use the site, Click here to remain logged. Timeout: 60 second