Here we give our own interpretation on couture front row for S/S12, where less is definitely not more…
For a full two months – from the beginning of January to the end of February – as the fashion marathon takes place across the major cities of Paris, Milan, New York and London for the menswear, womenswear and couture shows, our eyes remain firmly fixed on the catwalk, pensive as to what the season’s offerings will bring.
With tens of thousands of show reports every season, it is surprising that so little attention is given to the other side of the runway – the fashion crowd. Whilst discreet and relaxed men’s editors and select A-listers make up the majority at the menswear shows; turbocharged stylists, It-girls, pop stars and bloggers in head-to-toe key season pieces at the womenswear shows; it is couture that brings the most intriguing bunch. For those of us who are lucky enough to be invited into this exclusive world of custom-made, labour intensive, fine fabricated fashion (where each piece fetches around £20,000) will notice that often the one-of-a-kind collection pieces are as captivating as the one-of-a-kind attendees.
"From wealthy tycoons to royal families, couture’s private clients come dressed in all their finery, no expense spared"
Despite the economic downturn, financial crisis does not affect the uber rich — as evidenced at couture. From wealthy tycoons to royal families, couture’s private clients come dressed in all their finery, no expense spared. With the currency of couture switching from dollars and euros to Saudi and Qatari riyals, Chinese yuans, Indian rupees and Russian rubles, a younger, fashion-conscious clientele hailing from emerging rich nations also come hungry for the very best clothes that money can buy. Towering heels match towering updos and less is definitely not more: think fine fabrics intricately worked, dripping diamonds and stacks of gold. The rest of the crowd consists of select editors from highbrow newspapers, fashion buyers and the occasional token celebrity. Here we give our own interpretation on couture front row for S/S12...
Text by Lucia Davies
Margot Bowman is an illustrator, designer and DJ living in London. She is the Creative Director of The Estethetica Review, a fashion publication focusing on ethical fashion published biannually in conjunction with the British Fashion Council. Lucia Davies is the AnOther Editorial Assistant. She has also contributed to titles that include Dazed & Confused, The Independent, It's Nice That, Nowness and Twin Magazine.
