This Couture Season Awakened Something On Me
It made me remember why I fell in love with fashion in the first place.
Recently, fashion has been quite boring. I thought I didn’t have it in me anymore — the ability to write it all, cover it all, and truly love it. But under the right circumstances, things changed. When I wasn’t fashion-fatigued, Couture Week was my favorite time of year. In fact, the latest couture awakened something in me that had been missing for months, perhaps even years. It made me remember why I fell in love with fashion in the first place.
I first got my foot in the fashion world through Twitter’s High Fashion community. Then, I went from checking everything on Vogue Runway to writing about it. I had found myself during a hard time mentally.
But as the global political landscape began to implode and many fashion and public figures adopted values that I didn’t believe in, I began to feel repulsed by this industry. And in some ways, I still am. But not by some clothes seen in couture this week. Those make me feel a different way: charmed.
Iris Van Herpen is the kind of Maison that makes us believe that fairy tales are real. Not because her designs often embody a futuristic princess-meets-butterfly-and-fairy aesthetic. It’s because they are so skillfully crafted and intricately detailed that it’s hard to believe they don’t come from a fairy tale. In this collection, the fairy tale setting was nothing more nothing less than the ocean. In fact, one of the dresses was made with over 125 million bioluminescent algae. maintaining the water ecosystem theme while preserving the sculptural and flowing charm for which Van Herpen is so known.
George Hobeika’s collection also featured his classics: pure sophistication and red-carpet worthy looks. The glamorous, expertly crafted gowns included neutral shades like white, burgundy, and black, as well as shimmery ones like silver, golden cream, and copper.
Also quite shiny even from far away, Zuhair Murad had some real opulence combined with power dressing. The gowns were inspired by Hollywood’s golden age icons like Barbara Stanwyck and Rita Hayworth, with the designer reimagining a wardrobe for the classic heroines. Enter soft velvet gowns, flowing fabrics, long dramatic fur coats, statement capes, and structured dresses. Embellishments were all in, adorning any type of gown or coat or even making up the whole design.
In the meantime, Rahul Mishra’s designs were all about embellished details and architectural proportions, with waved dresses, halo-like constructions, and botanical details — think roses bursting out of gowns. Its dramatic ornamentation allied to its intricate embroidery were pure artistry.
A real artist is also Ashi Studio, with intricate, marvelous gowns and bodices to die for. With creations like a wooden corset carved with animals, sculptural silhouettes, tailored designs, corsetry, botanical embroidery, and sculpted waistlines, Ashi Studio has received many accolades online. And in the entertainment industry, it will surely be a favorite during awards season. Mark my words.
Stephané Rolland, too. His collection balances precision and fluidity with severely elegant gowns and suits with dramatic proportions. Headpieces enhance further the visuals, exuding a unprecedented sophistication.
Robert Wun may be widely known as the God of Horror-fashion, but the designer also brings out refinement at its finest. With fake bloody handprints embroidered on gowns, kinky latex gowns, eccentric headpieces, and a purple dress adorned with rhinestones and topped with an immense veil held above the model’s head carried by fake arms, Wun transforms elements deemed creepy by the cultural zeitgeist into pure couture, leaving its audience in awe in the process.
As always, Schiaparelli blew fashionistas away too — indeed, Daniel Roseberry never disappoints. This season, artistry took center stage with plenty of direct references to the founder, Elsa Schiaparelli, as well as surrealist elements, a futuristic charm, and some anatomical details — that beating heart necklace was something else.
But perhaps what made my eyes shine just a little more was Maison Margiela. I was a big fan of Glenn Martens’s Diesel. But his Margiela is on another level. I was born in 2005, and as a relatively fetus fashion fan, I have never in my lifetime witnessed such a beautiful collection.
During John Galliano’s tenure, Maison Margiela made quite a statement with the Fall/Winter 2025 Artisanal collection. Now, it’s time for Martens, who, through gothic grandeur, mesh masks, and medieval details, such as draped metallic velvet with golden reflections and sculptural silhouettes, managed to honor the house's legacy to the fullest. He even channeled his inner Martin and did not take his bow after the show. Talk about a bonafide way to go method — instead of dressing, creative directing!
It will definitely go down in the history books. And I couldn’t be more excited for Martens’ future collections. Also, I can’t wait for September and October to see Jonathan Anderson’s womenswear Dior and Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel.