Paris has always been the epicenter of haute couture where craftsmanship, storytelling, and art come together to define luxury fashion. Each season the city becomes a grand stage where designers pay homage to the past while pushing the boundaries, shaping the future with every stitch. The Spring/Summer 2025 Haute Couture shows are more than just a spectacle – they are a reflection of an industry in transition, heritage, exclusivity and modernity.
With Schiaparelli, Dior, and Giambattista Valli opening the week, this season promises a mash up of innovation and legacy. Off the runway, fashion history is being made as the Louvre hosts its first ever fashion exhibition. Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces is featuring over 100 iconic designs from Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Balenciaga. As Parisienne fashion gets back in the global spotlight after the 2024 Olympics, this couture season is all about legacy and transformation. From Chanel’s nod to the past to Armani Privé’s luminous haute couture, these are the collections that will be talked about for the rest of the year.
So what do this season’s collections say and what statements will they make on the red carpet events? Let’s take a closer look.
THE BEST OF HAUTE COUTURE WEEK 2025
- Schiaparelli – The Icarus Collection: Surrealism and mythology
Daniel Roseberry’s Icarus Schiaparelli collection was named after the Greek myth, symbolizing ambition and the pursuit of perfection. The invitation—a golden feather cast in metal—set the tone for a show that paid homage to the couture legends: Charles Frederick Worth, Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaïa. “Haute couture is by definition a search for perfection,” said Roseberry. “Every season can feel like a quixotic struggle—a climb, to reach an ever-higher level of execution and vision. But we do it—I do it—for you.”
Roseberry challenged modern minimalism and went for baroque excess with sculpted jackets that bloomed at the hips, aerodynamic bustles, and gowns that were architectural and weightless. Corsets shape models into artful shapes like futurist sculptures or Art Deco landmarks. A nude gown with Chinoiserie embroidery on Kendall Jenner and a floor length feathered opera coat on Alex Consani showed off the construction. Techniques merged tradition with innovation using neoprene and Ultrasuede to get couture level precision.
The collection also looked to antiquity with early 20th century Lyons couture ribbons inspiring delicate, layered designs. The last look, made from brown moiré silk ribbon, shimmered as the model walked, proving haute couture can turn the past into something new. Roseberry’s Icarus flew high, because true couture is not just about looking back but about reaching higher.
- Dior – Punk Alice in Wonderland: Elegance with attitude
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Spring/Summer 2025 haute couture collection for Dior was a poetic exploration of transformation, fantasy, and historical silhouettes. Drawing inspiration from Dorothea Tanning’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and the surrealist world of Leonor Fini, Chiuri wove a narrative of metamorphosis, where childhood slips into adulthood. Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland also played muse, shaping Chiuri’s vision of self-discovery through the evolution of dress.
Set against the grandeur of the Musée Rodin, the runway became a stage for romantic rebellion. Models, crowned with punk-inspired feather mohawks, floated in a symphony of corsetry, cage skirts, tailcoats, and diaphanous lace culottes. The standout lampshade dresses, inspired by Dior’s 1950s Cigale dress, were updated with shorter hemlines. Additionally, trapeze coats nodded to Yves Saint Laurent’s 1958 Trapèze collection reimagine timeless couture codes with weightless precision.
Bringing couture into the realm of storytelling, intricate embroideries crafted by Mumbai’s legendary Chanakya ateliers danced across the fabric, set against a mesmerizing backdrop by artist Rithika Merchant. Reflecting on her vision, Chiuri said: “Over the last six, eight months, I was obsessed with the history of fashion… to disrupt the order of time, taking us back to a dimension that belongs neither to past nor future, but to fashion itself.”
- Armani Privé – Lumières: 20 years of excellence
Giorgio Armani celebrated 20 years of Armani Privé with a spectacular haute couture show at Palazzo Armani in Paris. Titled Lumières, the collection was all about shimmer and elegance, a lifelong passion of the designer. Armani’s signature fluid silhouettes appeared in 94 meticulously crafted looks, from beaded suits and crystal-encrusted evening gowns to sleek peplums and silk Mao jackets. Global craftsmanship was the inspiration: Indian opulence in the embroidery and Japanese precision in the micro-pleated gowns.
Launched in 2005, Armani Privé is the brightest light of the Armani empire, a space where the designer embraces fantasy and experimentation. The show was to reflect that and blend past with modern glamour. The finale featured the designer himself, walking arm-in-arm with his Armani bride, draped in a beaded caftan and crystal headpiece. At 90 Armani is still the master of timelessness, couture is not just about fashion it’s about art and storytelling.
- Chanel – 110 Years of Haute Couture: Heritage
Chanel’s 110th anniversary show at the Grand Palais was marked by a striking Möbius strip of a runway and celebrated Gabrielle Chanel’s secret love of colour. The opening looks were iridescent pastels and then tweed suits with cropped jackets and sleek silhouettes that redefined the classic Chanel suit. Jennie from Blackpink, Kylie Jenner and Dua Lipa sat front row as the colours went from soft pastels to bold reds and midnight blues.
Drama and playfulness were the balance: feathers, tulle and crystal buttons on gowns, bold silk trains and leg of mutton sleeves on tops. Eveningwear was streamlined satin and lamé and a mix of haute couture craftsmanship and wearable glamour. No theme to the collection but it felt light, modern and optimistic, just like the show’s architecture – a symbol of Chanel’s excellence.
Designed by the in-house team before Matthieu Blazy takes the reins, this collection was heritage and innovation, Gabrielle Chanel’s legacy and youthful attitude. A reminder that even in transition Chanel is beauty and creativity.
- Valentino – Alessandro’s first haute couture collection
Unveiled at the Paris Couture Week 2025, Valentino’s first haute couture collection, Vertigineux, by Alessandro Michele was a fairytale of history, culture, and innovation. Inspired by Umberto Eco’s The Infinity of Lists Michele created 48 one of a kind dresses. The set was a flashing lights and cinematic wonderland with an eclectic mix of designs from giant flared dresses to cascading tulle that poured down the runway like waterfalls, all embroidered and beaded.
Michele’s creativity was a unique blend of Venetian carnivals, Marie Antoinette’s opulence, medieval nuns, and silent movie stars all mixed with Valentino’s archives. The result was a collection that felt like a dream, full of historical references reinterpreted in a modern way. Each piece was not just a garment but a statement, a testament to the genius of Valentino’s atelier. His collection was a masterful mix of past and present, and the future of haute couture.
- Elie Saab – Portrait of a Dream: Embroidery and volume
Elie Saab’s Spring/Summer 2025 Haute Couture collection, Portrait of a Dream reflected a elegance and renewed optimism after turbulent times in Beirut. Inspired by an Impressionist garden, the collection was covered in floral appliqué, lace and gossamer layers, feminine, and otherworldly. The collection blended soft pastels with sculptural piece like denim gowns and a showstopper black mermaid dress. Art Deco architecture was referenced and the textures from embroidered feathers to sequins was 1920s glamour and modern fantasy, a escape into beauty and hope.
- Giambattista Valli – Les Jardins de la Ménara: Romantic, dreamy
Giambattista Valli’s Spring 2025 haute couture collection, Les Jardins de la Ménara, was a love letter to Morocco. It was inspired by the lush gardens of Marrakech and his personal connection to the country. Billowing silk taffeta skirts, ombré petals on pleated chiffon, and Mughal rose-embroidered brocade evoked a dreamy fantasy. His signature big silhouettes – sculptural cream-puff gowns and candy-colored tulle confections – glided down the Moroccan-carpeted runway. 60s glamour was evoked in caftans, jacquard jackets and organza collars and delicate draping and intricate details anchored the collection. Valli’s idea of lightness, beauty and serenity was a like a much-needed breath for turbulent times.
- Viktor & Rolf – AI-inspired haute couture collection
Viktor & Rolf’s Spring/Summer 2025 Haute Couture collection combines tradition and technology, craftsmanship, and AI. Drawing inspiration from a Karl Lagerfeld quip, the designers reworked classic pieces—the beige trench, white shirt, blue trousers—into 24 modern looks, all made from silk gazar, the fabric invented by Balenciaga.
Viktor & Rolf worked with AI both in the creative process and in the show. A robotic voice narrated the show, saying the infinite possibilities of AI, as the three staples morphed into dramatic silhouettes, from puffed up gowns to ruffled bloomers. This collection is the perfect collaboration between human and machine.
- Jean Paul Gaultier by Ludovic de Saint Sernin
Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s first couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier, Le Naufrage blends sensuality with whimsy, channeling Gaultier’s campiness. Inspired by the music video for “Les Mots” by Seal and Mylène Farmer and an old Gaultier boat-shaped headpiece, de Saint Sernin’s designs are about mythological figures, lustful pirates and ethereal sirens. In the collection, classic couture—feathered gowns, structured corsets—is mixed with futuristic latex dresses. From lingerie to crystal-encrusted gowns, every look is a Gaultier nod to bold, provocative fashion. The models’ windswept hair and dramatic poses added to the surreal, sensual vibe of this show.
OFF THE RUNWAY
- Front Row Moments
At the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2025, A-list celebrities are out in full force, showcasing their glamour at some of the most anticipated runway shows of the season. Kylie Jenner looked fabulous in a Chanel tweed mini skirt and cropped jacket at the Grand Palais, alongside fashion icons Lily-Rose Depp, Dua Lipa, and Marion Cotillard.
At Dior, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jenna Ortega were edgy in black, while Kendall Jenner served a dramatic look at Schiaparelli. Megan Thee Stallion, Regina King, Pamela Anderson, Carla Bruni, and Gabrielle Union were also in attendance of the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Venus Williams, Robert Pattinson, and Kim Kardashian were spotted at various shows, making statements in their own fashionable way.
- The Louvre’s First Fashion Exhibition: Louvre Couture
Coinciding with the kickoff of Paris Haute Couture Week, The Louvre Museum has also launched “Louvre Couture”, its first ever fashion exhibition. Exploring the intersection of modern fashion and French decorative arts, the exhibition features more than 70 pieces from 45 designers from 1949 to today: Balenciaga, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior and new names like Marine Serre and Thom Browne. Curated by Olivier Gabet, it reveals the power of French craftsmanship on fashion. The immersive and non-linear experience allows its visitors to discover these connections in a new and joyful way.
THE TIMELESS REIGN OF HAUTE COUTURE
The Spring/Summer 2025 collections and Louvre Couture prove that haute couture can merge heritage with innovation. From Chanel’s 110 years of craftsmanship to Armani Privé’s light, this season is a celebration of the artistry and culture.
As Hubert de Givenchy once said, “Like in great painting and architecture, in couture, to make clothes you must eliminate, eliminate, eliminate to obtain the true sense of a line. You see, the more you add, the more you load on, the more it’s mad. You must try to have just the silhouette, which is an intelligence in clothes.”
Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2025 collections embody this philosophy with a perfect equilibrium between restraint and imagination. The haute couture’s dialogue between tradition and modernity is the ultimate intelligence of fashion. And when these unique blends hit the world’s most glamorous red carpets, one thing is sure — the art, the vision, and the precision of couture will show ‘‘its true sense of line.’’