S/S 2023 is the season of dramatic silhouettes

From voluminous to streamlined, photographer Lara Angelil and Wallpaper* fashion director Jason Hughes put S/S 2023’s theatrical forms on a pedestal

Woman in S/S 2023 black hood and woman in ruffled black dress
Left, dress, £8,400, by Valentino. Hood; top, both price on request, by Haider Ackermann + Fila. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy. Right, dress, £6,250, by Roksanda. Hood, price on request, by Haider Ackermann + Fila. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy. Tights, £26, by Wolford
(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Millefeuilles of ruffles, jutting waistlines, slick-to-the-body silhouettes – the S/S 2023 collections offered a study of form, from the voluminous to the streamlined. 

Here, the season’s most dramatic silhouettes are captured in a series of images by Germany-born photographer Lara Angelil and styled by Wallpaper* fashion director Jason Hughes, as seen in the Wallpaper* April 2023 Global Interiors issue (on international newsstands now). 

The dramatic silhouettes of S/S 2023

Woman in white dress on red plinth with spraypainted arrows

Top; dress, both price on request, by Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Angelil, whose parents were both trained in classical theatre and ballet, draws on ideas of performance and the body in her work. In particular, she has noted inspiration from the ‘poise and sculptural silhouettes’ of ballet dancers, first discovered in the black-and-white photographs collected by her father, something she credits with developing her distinct eye. 

Here, featuring Japanese model Amane Taniguchi, a series of the season’s most dramatic looks are placed on a pedestal – from Christopher Kane’s sliced-away lace dress with flared pannier waist, to a bodysuit by Pieter Mulier at Alaïa, adorned with a trompe l’oeil pearl necklace – for a reflection of S/S 2023’s theatrical mood.

Close up of woman in chanel skirt on red plinth

Dress; pants, both price on request, by Chanel. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy. Tights, £26, by Wolford

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman in black Chanel dress

Dress, £3,500, by Prada. Tights, £26, by Wolford

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman in hood

Hood; top, both price on request, by Haider Ackermann + Fila

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman standing on box in black bodysuit and pearl necklace

Bodysuit, £1,670; necklace, £13,250; gloves, price on request, all by Alaïa. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy. Tights, £25, by Wolford

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman in black dress and wrapped black hat

Skirt (worn as top), £780, by Issey Miyake. Hat, price on request, by Noel Stewart

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman in lace dress facing red wall

Dress, price on request, by Christopher Kane. Skirt, £450, by Raey

(Image credit: Dress, price on request, by Christopher Kane. Skirt, £450, by Raey)

Woman in black dress with hood

Dress, £2,950, by Celine by Hedi Slimane. Hood, price on request, by Haider Ackermann + Fila. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy. Tights, £23, by Falke

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman standing on plinth in Louis Vuitton dress

Dress, £4,335, by Louis Vuitton. Dress (worn underneath), £1,140; top (worn underneath), £180, both by Max Mara. Hood, price on request, by Haider Ackermann + Fila. Shoes, €499, by Givenchy

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Woman in black outfit holding up ball

Jacket, €2,490; gloves, €890, both by Givenchy

(Image credit: Photography by Lara Angelil, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Model: Amane Taniguchi at Elite Model Management Casting: William Lhoest. Hair: Mike O’Gorman at Saint Luke Artists. Make-up: Jimmy Owen Jones at Julian Watson Agency using Chanel S/S23 make-up collection and No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Cream Fashion assistant: Kris Bergfeldt Photography assistants: Callum Su, Luke Gooden, Grace Taselli.

A version of this story appears in the April 2023 Global Interiors issue of Wallpaper*, available now in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today (opens in new tab).

Fashion Features Editor

Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*. Having previously held roles at 10, 10 Men and AnOther magazines, he joined the team in 2022. His work has a particular focus on the moments where fashion and style intersect with other creative disciplines – among them art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and profiling the industry’s leading figures and brands.