Four takeaways from Couture Fashion Week you can try right now

You might not have the funds for couture – and honey, you’re not alone there – but no matter what your budget is, here are some ideas to ‘borrow’ from the fanciest fashion week of them all.

Couture Fashion Week is like the industry’s Super Bowl. You may have thought that the major players at biannual shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris brought their A-game, but the Couture lineup is the world series.

From celebrities (and their stylists) scouting looks for the next awards season to heiresses, Royalty and the ‘one percent’: Couture Fashion Week showcases the most elaborate and sought-after creations imaginable.

Sure, there might be some avant garde moments that create a headline or two (Dior sending a literal gold house down the runway this time, for example) but this is where designers and their unsung seamstresses get to prove what they can really do.

For the Fall 2019 Couture shows in Paris and Rome, there were some notably wearable ideas in the mix – after all, these designers are trying to bait younger, social media-savvy customers who have the money to spend.

Here’s how to beat them to it, and stake your place in the major leagues with a miniature spend.

Meet the new frock coat

Anything Chanel touches, has always become gold. Post-Kaiser Karl, the onus lay on Virginie Viard (his longtime right-hand-woman) to deliver the Midas touch. She devoted her life to studying under Lagerfeld, and while Haute Couture might have traditionally been a man’s game, in true female fashion: her collection said loudly and proudly, ‘She’s got this’. The regal, emperor-style buttoned dress coats were a real standout moment, particularly when rendered in the house’s signature bouclé and tweed. Keep your eyes peeled in vintage and thrift stores for a fitted maxi-length coat with a grandad collar: you can even stitch on your own pearl or antique buttons for the Chanel effect.

Tulle is going to be H.U.G.E

Not least because of Parisian designer Giambattista Valli, a bona fide tulle master, and his upcoming collaboration with H&M. Layers of lightweight net and ruffles have always been this couturier’s MO, and this season, thanks to endorsements from younger Instagram-famous stars, his fairytale-worthy aesthetic is reaching a new, wider audience. We sense a Christmas party dress trend already. Just sayin’.

Fur? Make it multi-coloured

At Fendi, Silvia Venturini Fendi was tasked with stepping into some mammoth (and likely, Italian leather) boots. In the wake of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, all eyes were on Fendi to propel the label forward after losing its revered Creative Director. The show took place at the Temple of Venus and Rome in the ancient Italian capital. And God, was it gorgeous. From the dip-dyed furs (somewhat controversially, Fendi is adamant about its use of the real deal, having began as a family-ran fur house) to beetle-eye sunglasses, organza and mousseline ball gowns in geometric prints, handheld mozaic-patterned clutches and suits that made you yearn for the 1970s; whether you actually experienced the decade or not. Our money? Bet big on long, animalistic detachable fur collars. Probably best to make yours a faux, we don’t want a repeat of the outraged protestors at the Fendi show in 2015, now do we……

Stock up on your lacy tights

Where Maria Grazia Chiuri goes ~ fashion flows. Case in point: berets, belt bags, ball gown skirts, and so forth. Now, the Creative Director of Dior has turned her attention to gothic – but glam – hosiery. Find your own version in any high street store and pair with an LBD before the clocks turn back.

Related:

• Read more: If you love Zimmermann, these are the labels you should know about.
• Read more: Runway to Real Life: An Isabel Marant disco look for under €175.