Paris Couture Week is known for a lot of things: Celine Dion serving up the best street style of her life (her notable absence this year of course hasn’t gone unnoticed), an influx of celebrities teetering out of the Le Bristol hotel in the most exquisite outfits, and the world’s wealthiest women sitting front row, making mental shopping lists of the made-to-order pieces that are about to enhance their already incredible wardrobes.

But the thing that sets Couture Fashion Week apart from the rest of the international shows, is the dresses. Oh my, the dresses: it is sky-is-the-limit fashion (which naturally works hand in hand with sky is the limit budget). Couture collections are walking pieces of art, often taking hundreds or even thousands of hours to make just a single piece. 

This isn’t the kind of catwalk where the collection goes into mass production: for most pieces there is only ever one made – and when it is made, it is custom made to order for that specific client.

Designers that show at Couture Fashion Week – of which there are very few in comparison to the usual run at the spring summer and autumn/winter catwalks – want to put on a show: a show of feathers, tulle, embroidery and embellishment, creating the most jaw-droppingly beautiful dresses we have ever seen. Dior’s opulent and thought-provoking show had models adorned in modern interpretations of traditional ancient Greek dresses, while John Paul Gaultier bowed out of Couture week (cue sobs) with a bang, enlisting a series of famous faces (Bella Hadid and Dita Von Teese to name a few) to walk his last couture show clad in corset dresses and tulle.

We’ll be adding these to our ‘dream dress’ Pinterest board stat. 

Renowned for his trademark corset detailing, John Paul Gaultier bid farewell to couture with a slew lots of fashion-forward pieces including the iconic silhouette. This tulle/corset hybrid is testament to his exciting creations.

Patchwork, ruffles and puff sleeves: this Viktor & Rolf dress is truly a thing of beauty. The prairie trend continues to gain momentum and we’re fully onboard. 

Virginie Viard steered the Chanel couture show for a second time and certainly didn’t disappoint. The collection was stocked with floral embroidery and sheer, delicately spun dresses with monochrome elements woven throughout. The show also refreshingly included elements that would be deemed more wearable – in particular tights paired with socks – a stroke of genius.

At this point, we wouldn’t expect anything less than oodles of tulle and striking pastel colours in a Giambattista Valli collection. Drool-worthy voluminous gowns made up this 2020 collection. Did someone say dreamy?

Christian Dior’s reimagining of traditional ancient Greek dresses implemented twisted fabric and overzealous ruffles, finishing with Greek-style flat sandals. We’ll take it all, thanks.

Clare Waight Keller’s spring couture show for Givenchy held no prisoners. Waight Keller served up tons of bridal realness as we witnessed Kaia Gerber strut down the runway draped in an off-the-shoulder floral-laced dress sporting an almost comically large hat that (nearly) stole the show.

Emitting a somewhat vampy feel, Valentino intermixed fiery red, eggshell white and black, finishing with tinges of bright pastels and column silhouettes. This particular billowy floor-skimming number is a standout piece in the collection. Yes, we’ll take all the ruffles and polka dots please.

Mr Armani delivers yet again with this dusky blue beast of a dress. The twist detailing! The fringing! The matching bag! Full marks for this fully-fledged sleek, fashion fantasy. 

We couldn’t fawn over the delicious dresses at Couture Fashion Week without including this lavender baby. Heart eyes all round for this sweet Givenchy gown.

Images: Getty / courtesy of brands