Written by Jordan Ellen Wood

When couture came to mind, it was always about the corsets that were too tight to breath in or the over embellished gowns, but with fashion constantly reinventing itself, there is bound to be a new image to couture. Designers such as Valentino, Viktor & Rolf and the craziest fashion house of them all, Maison Margiela, revamped the word couture and made it their own by inspiring others to go for a more daring route in their collections. But how can we pick apart the best from the best of what was draped all over our fashion fingertips.

Maison Margiela

Think saturated hues, reflective fabrics and layers upon layers. Only one fashion mogul comes to mind, and what better way to start some of the best couture collections of 2018 so far… Maison Margiela. The french luxury fashion house is sculpts from what could pass off as a unicorns mind. The vivid colours are a staple piece in the SS18 collection. “When I returned to designing, I was taken aback by how everyone was seeing shows through their phones,” John Galliano said at a preview this week. “Freezing the glamour of the accidental, the magical moment,” Galliano called it—another stage in the progression of his thoughts about “dressing in haste.”

Givenchy

And you thought couture couldn’t be minimal… Givenchy's 2018 Spring Couture collection was one we all would love to wear down the high street (or have hung up in our wardrobes for our best days), but the subtle colour palette through this collection is one that didn’t go unnoticed. “I wanted to use the strength of tailoring, but in a feminine way,” she said.

Chanel

Is it just me or is it whenever you hear Chanel are releasing a new collection, you get excited as you want to know what artistic talent Karl Lagerfeld has put behind the runway show? We have seen them all… But at the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2018, it was one to talk about, having the show decorated with trellises of pink roses, ponds flowing with rivulets and fountains of water. The scene was set for the collection to come down the runway from all things pretty in pink and feminine chic. “There is a time for prettiness: when the world is becoming too ugly,” said Karl Lagerfeld after his Chanel show.

Valentino

From sultry mustard tones to duck egg blues, the contemporary ideas, behind Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli’s worth while waiting collection,  proved glamour can come in all shapes and styles. Letting loose on draped fabrics, feathers and all things bow related, Valentinos show got everyone wanting MORE MORE MORE! Bringing a gender neutral collection to his show, Piccioli hit the nail on the head by creating couture trouser pieces and proving that you can mix pink and blues together without looking like a packet of bon bons.

Elie Saab

Her collection felt like you walked into Fairy-tale. An event that took you back to the 1920’s; where the glam and glitzy lifestyle felt like your own. Elie Saab Spring Couture 18 collection had a colour palette so refined and fresh that you felt romantic. The gowns were draped in beads, jewels, feathers and any other embellishments you can think of.. The tones of champagne, silvery blue and rose pink were enough to give us goosebumps.