Blogging has led to many amazing opportunities, and after 7 years I feel like I've been rewarded with the ultimate fashion experience: Haute Couture Week! After receiving my invitations from a lovely PR company in Paris, I packed my bags and flew over to the world's top fashion capital.
The weather was so beautiful, so for my first day I decided to wear a floral a-line skirt, high-neck crop top, pink suede boots and pastel jewellery. When I arrived at the venue by the River Seine, I loved seeing what everyone else was wearing. A few were surprisingly casual, however most of the attendees were dressed as elegantly as I'd imagined.
I couldn't believe my luck that I got to sit in the front row! Also, since I sat towards the end of the catwalk, I got to see the couture close-up and from every angle as the models spun round in front of me. Some of you will have seen this from the videos from my Instagram stories. As Patuna's collection is so sculptural, the 2D photos below couldn't possibly do the outfits justice. However, they should still give you an idea of the beautiful craftsmanship.
There were 22 looks at the Patuna show, set to a dramatic soundtrack that reinforced the mood of the collection. I was interested to find that Patuna took inspiration from "Guadi's organic architecture and Dali's dreamlike abstraction". The wavy hemlines are reminiscent of Gaudi's La Pedrera building; and you could imagine each design worn in a fantasy world that Salvador Dali created.
The silhouettes within the collection contrasted rigid structural shapes with fluid lines. Voluminous jackets were paired with relaxed fit trousers and asymmetric skirts. There was a mixture of textures including silk, wool, cotton and velvet. One of my favourites was the final look; a white avant garde jacket worn over a floor length silk dress. It moved beautifully as the model came down the catwalk and looked so dramatic as she turned.
It's fair to say that my first Haute Couture show was everything I'd hoped for and more. Look out for my review of the Laskaris show coming soon!
