
Creative debuts, 1930s inspired salons and dream-like secret gardens gave S/S 2017’s haute couture season in Paris the usual dose of drama and bedazzlement. From Maria Grazia Chiuri’s haute couture debut at Christian Dior, to Pierpaolo Piccioli’s own solo outing just days after his menswear showcase at Valentino, this was a season that looked to Egypt and the East for inspiration, celebrated the aesthetic heritage of its houses, and explored a plethora of art references, from Giacometti to Guy Bourdin.
Pictured, Chanel S/S 2017. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Christian Dior: Maria Grazia Chiuri imagined her education into the world of Christian Dior as a labyrinthine garden, and for her haute couture debut for the brand she constructed a Chickasaw plum maze in the gardens of the Musée Rodin. Soft woodland moss underfoot marked the hidden entrance to the show space which took three weeks to install, and was covered with 80,000 branches of ivy and 400,000 boxwood stems, created by the florist Eric Chauvin. It also boasted a sparkling two-tonne wishing-tree. Watch as Chiuri’s secret garden-inspired show set for Christian Dior grows into life. Courtesy of Christian Dior

Christian Dior: Chiuri’s botanical design was one of fairytale ethereality; models entered the space wearing crinoline insect and bird masks created by Stephen Jones, and lily of the valley garlands, the lucky flower that Monsieur Dior used to pin to his lapel. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Christian Dior: Chiuri’s predecessor Raf Simons also constructed huge floriculture-focused runway sets during his tenure, inspired my M Dior’s own fascination with flowers. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Christian Dior: Bar jackets were reimagined with hoods and peplums, and the superstitious nature of M Dior, which Chiuri celebrated in her S/S 2017 ready-to-wear debut, was revisited in hand-painted and embroidered astrological motif ball gowns, one of which took 1,700 hours of work to make. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Valentino: For his menswear A/W 2017 debut, Pierpaolo Piccioli looked to the punk iconography of British artist Jamie Reid, and for the inspiration behind his first haute couture collection, held in adjoining rooms at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, the creative-director turned to the artworks in the Tiroche DeLeon collection. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans