The buzz around Paris Couture Week 2023 was palpable, with key moments punctuating the affair. From the fantastic runway pieces that took our breath away to bizarre creations that left us, below we list vital moments you should make your core memory.

Some may think of haute couture as way too bizarre. “Who would wear this in real life?” is the question that comes to most minds — yet that’s what haute couture is all about. Sure, putting on an haute couture show is expensive, takes time, and doesn’t necessarily sell to the regular world.

This is where you need to think of haute couture as the fashion version of a contemporary art exhibition. Haute couture is the ultimate creative playground for any fashion designer, allowing them to push the limits of their creativity to greater heights. Couture pieces enable designers to test their fashion know-how and create something avant-garde just because they can. Artistry and savoir-faire are tested to the maximum on couture pieces. It’s only during these times that designers can realise their vision, which only a select few can appreciate.

In fact, not just any designer brand can be classified as an official haute couture house. To qualify as one, the fashion house must tick the following criteria:

• Has designed made-to-order pieces for private clients with more than one fitting involved.
• Made-to-order pieces must use an atelier with at least 15 full-time staff.
• They must employ 20 full-time technical workers in one of the ateliers.
• Has presented a collection of no less than 50 original designs (day and nighttime outfits) to the public every fashion season.

So, yes, it may be bizarre. It may only be wearable for some. But it’s a marvellous piece of art for everyone to feast their eyes upon. That’s why haute couture continues to be relevant today, making waves at Paris Couture Week 2023.

Animal heads at Schiaparelli

Before the Schiaparelli show even began, Kylie Jenner was already breaking the internet with her front-row outfit: a full-length ruched velvet dress from the fashion house itself, complete with a life-sized lion head. Rumours were flying, wondering if the lion’s head was real.

As the show began, it became clear that the lion wasn’t the only animal to have its head used for Schiaparelli’s couture collection. Model Shalom Harlow wore a leopard-head dress, and Naomi Campbell donned a luscious coat with a wolf’s head. All three animals: leopard, lion, and wolf, represented lust, pride, and avarice in Dante’s Inferno.

People later found out that the heads were hand-sculpted with foam, resin, wool, silk, and faux fur.

Doja Cat’s 30,000 Swarovski crystals and falsies moustache

Next to Kylie Jenner’s lion-head dress, Doja Cat was another celebrity that kept the internet on its toes with her couture week appearances. Her red Schiaparelli dress was gorgeous, but being covered in 30,000 red Swarovski crystals shook the world. Famed makeup artist Pat McGrath and her team worked for five hours to cover the rapper in red makeup and crystals, giving Doja Cat that otherworldly look just for the Schiaparelli show.

In a more “normal” outfit later, Doja Cat showed up at the Viktor & Rolf couture show dressed as a man. Her look was complete with false lashes in place of eyebrows and a moustache. The statement was apparently in retaliation to critics, who gave her beef for not wearing lashes at the Schiaparelli show.

Upside-down dresses at Viktor & Rolf

Meanwhile, at the Viktor & Rolf shows, there was nary a moustache in sight. Visions, however, were turned in all directions except upright. We’re talking about the bizarre dresses on the runway at Viktor & Rolf.

The dresses were gorgeous princessy gowns made of tulle, crystals, and ribbons — except they were suspended in all directions, anywhere but on the model itself. Themed the “Late Stage Capitalism Waltz,” the creators described the dresses as “retaining its idealized shape, antagonizes, alienates and frees itself from the body in a surreal way.”

Chanel’s sculptural zoo

Animals seemed to be a recurring theme at Paris Couture Week 2023, with Chanel engaging Xavier Vielhan to create giant, wooden animals inspired by the animal sculptures at Coco Chanel’s apartment. Models emerged from within these sculptural animals wearing pieces from the haute couture collection. Alongside floaty bridal pieces, Virginie Viard also showcased pieces that Chanel was well known for tweed.

Elie Saab’s romantic opulence

No one does bridal romantic like Elie Saab, and she doesn’t disappoint with her Spring/Summer 2023 couture collection. Her collection, named “A Golden Dawn,” was inspired by the traditional rituals of Thailand. Note the intricate and ornate gold details on the outfits, which are regal yet retain her signature romantic vibe.

Gaurav Gupta’s couture debut

We love couture week debuts, and Indian fashion designer, Gaurav Gupta’s collection, was certainly one to look out for. His Shunya collection, in his words, explores sculptural draping forms in indigo electric blue in satins, chiffons, and organzas. While incredibly abstract, his pieces still retain the fluidity and sensualness of femininity. Gupta is a designer to look out for.

Mugler’s comeback…but ready-to-wear

Mugler was notably absent from the last three Paris Couture Weeks, but creative director Casey Cadwallader made a triumphant return, albeit not on the official calendar. That was because he was showcasing a ready-to-wear collection — yet it rivalled some of the couture collections on show.

Featuring the original 90s Mugler muses Debra Shaw and Eva Herzigova, the supermodel-studded affair also featured a cast of inclusive models. Denim, sheer fabric, bodycon silhouettes, and leather were prominently featured in the collection, paying homage to the original Thierry Mugler aesthetic.

Paris Couture Week 2023 was a celebration of fashion creativity and proved that haute couture knows no bounds. Which were your favourite moments from the fashion week?