The recently-concluded Paris Haute Couture Week wasn’t about everyday outfits; it was about pushing each designer's imagination to its limits.
While most designers create art on the runway, there were looks this season that felt straight-up surreal. From scorpion tails to connected twins and holographic universes, these are the outfits that made fashion fans do a double take.
Schiaparelli’s Scorpio Sister
IMAGE: Schiaparelli delivered one of the most bizarre moments with a look called the Scorpion Sisters. The translucent bustier morphs into a scorpion tail made with lace and 3D motifs. It was a play on danger and beauty that looks less like clothes and more like fashion mythology. Photograph: Kind courtesy Schiaparelli/Instagram
Satin Bird Pumps
IMAGE: Only a couture show would showcase footwear that looks like tiny birds perched on your feet. Schiaparelli’s Satin Bird Pump features hand-sculpted bird heads and curved heels. Photograph: Kind courtesy Schiaparelli/Instagram
Bird Body Jacket
IMAGE: Another Schiaparelli standout was a jacket that looked like a bird’s body; it was covered in thousands of embroidered feathers, complete with 3D bird beak details. Photograph: Kind courtesy Schiaparelli/Instagram
Rahul Mishra's Underwater Splash
IMAGE: Interpreting the elements of nature in his collection, Rahul Mishra gave a look inspired by water that felt like motion frozen in time, with a mask covering the model’s face like she was submerged under waves. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rahul Mishra/Instagram
Wind Apparition Dress
IMAGE: Another Mishra piece looked like wind itself took the shape of this sheer black dress with its exaggerated Victorian hips and airy shimmer covering the model’s face, making her look like a ghost in couture. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rahul Mishra/Instagram
Gaurav Gupta's Connected Duo
IMAGE: Gaurav Gupta’s one look featured two models walking side-by-side, connected by fabric, symbolising that even though we are in different bodies, we are one. Photograph: Kind courtesy Gaurav Gupta/Instagram
Universe Woman
IMAGE: At Gupta’s show, this model fully embraced cosmic fantasy in a holographic metallic dress with face paint, crystals and stark black hands and feet, like the universe took human form. Photograph: Kind courtesy Gaurav Gupta/Instagram
Dior's Mongoose
IMAGE: A Dior model wore a sculpted dress with flowers and fur but it was the shiny mongoose she carried that stole the show. It was quirky, unexpected, and memorably weird. Photograph: Kind courtesy Christian Dior/Instagram
Valentino's Egyptian Tribute
IMAGE: At Valentino, creative director Alessandro Michele paid tribute to Old Hollywood and fashion lore with a see-through kaftan and Egyptian-inspired headgear, revisiting cinematic glam and the maison’s legacy. Photograph: Kind courtesy Maison Valentino/Instagram
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