For WWD Weekend’s February issue, spring 2024 couture walked straight from the runways into our pages.
The day following haute couture week, WWD photographed the creme de la creme of the season, including some of the most prominent trends, including quiet luxury and centering the waist (literally).
The looks for the couture cover shoot for WWD Weekend’s February issue include designs from Schiaparelli, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior and more.
Schiaparelli pushed the dialogue between high-tech and high-art, creating a dress that paid homage to late 90s sci-fi. With computer chip, flip phone and CD embroidery, creative director Daniel Roseberry’s magical construction converted the walking analogue effect into the ultimate evening dress. Think “The Matrix” meets “Westworld,” he told Paris bureau chief Joelle Diderich.
Elsewhere, Jean Paul Gaultier’s genius guest-designer series yielded yet another blockbuster collection, this time courtesy of English designer Simone Rocha. Her take on the bustier cone bra was a traffic stopper in soft pink with sliced garter fringes. “I love it, it’s not as aggressive as mine,” Gaultier enthused to WWD international editor Miles Socha after the show. “It’s more feminine in a way because it’s more rounded.”
Continuing with the minimal dressing that’s brought success at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s black velvet cape was simple, but gave the Dior woman an edge, with a subtle goth aesthetic. “We want to emphasize this idea of Mr. Dior’s, but in a way that is more wearable,” the designer told Diderich in a preview.
Fendi’s Kim Jones also played to his strength — client-first dressing — with input from the chic women who surround him, including Silvia Venturini Fendi and her daughter Delfina Delettrez Fendi. In the case of the backless gown shot here, sheer panels mingle together with an asymmetric train, exuding old-Hollywood siren vibes from the 1920s.
Viktor & Rolf can always be counted on to inject a bit of fantasy as their legacy of unconventional couture is iconic, exemplified by this sliced-up princess silhouette, exposing a blush-hued corset structure underneath. It was one of our favorites, and gave new meaning to the collection’s name, “Scissorhands.”