RUNWAY REPORT.....Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week: Christian Dior Couture Fall 2017

This past week was Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in where else? Paris, of course. Haute Couture is a rarefied art in the world of fashion. Here are some bullet points on Haute Couture...

The Scene at Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017 Show, Les Invalides Paris France

*Every item must be (almost all) handmade (some sewing is done with a sewing machine but a very small amount!);
*All items are custom ordered and made-to-measure to the client's needs and shapes (there are arguably only a small elite group of ladies--numbering in the low thousands-- in the entire world who are customers with Sheikha Mozah of Qatar being a very prominent and consistent one!);
*Prices are very hush-hush but a suit can set you back $45,000 to start and a gown, $100,000!);
*A LOT of Haute Couture is lent to celebrities to wear at big red carpet events, such as Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards. Since many of these design samples may not ever get produced...why not get good use out of them and have celebs wear them to promote the brand's lipstick and perfume!

To start off my Runway Report, I begin with DIOR:

Le Bar Chic: Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017

WHAT: Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017. This was Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri's second Haute Couture collection for the famed Dior fashion house. Dior is celebrating 70 years in the fashion world with an incredible exhibition at the Louvre's Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2017 fashion show occurred at Les Invalides, the sight where Napoleon is entombed.

Christian Dior Couturier Du Reve Exhibition, Les Arts Decoratifs, Paris France--runs July 5, 2017-January 7, 2018

INSPIRATION: Travel. In the years following World War II, Christian Dior (the designer himself) traveled to California, Tokyo, South America, to name a few, to show his collections to the high society ladies of the world. As a result, Chiuri was inspired by this backdrop to create a collection inspired by Travel with names of outfits such as "Siam", "Oxford", "Austria", and "New York".

SEEN ON THE RUNWAY: Dior gray suits; Le Bar suit; daywear; velvet; patchwork; full-flared skirted suits, coats; light-as-air tulle nipped-in waist ball gowns.

Collection Highlights: