Up Close on Couture: Giambattista, Chanel, and More

Haute couture is all about the details and execution of the most improbably beautiful clothes in the world, of which there were plenty to pore over so far. Yesterday, Giambattista Valli presented a collection that appealed to the princess in all of us with a parade of cocktail dresses, the most stunning of which featured a sky-blue silk gazar skirt almost shirred in an all-over style to reveal a crystal-embellished taffeta silk skirt beneath. There were also raw silk chiffon blossoms found on the shoulders of evening gowns. Sometimes they completely covered a bodice; other times they seemed windswept in a cascade along a gown’s train.

At Chanel, one look stood out with its metallic mirror embroidery, but what caught our eye were the tiny rings worn along the knuckles of each finger. Over at Alexis Mabille, it was taffeta silk capes that were most memorable. Click ahead to see all that and more.

Click here to see the complete Giambattista Valli haute couture collection.
Click here to see the complete Chanel haute couture collection.
Click here to see the complete Alexis Mabille haute couture collection.