Here Are The Best, Biggest and Most Beautiful Dresses From Paris Couture Week

It’s surely no coincidence that red carpet season collides with the glitziest, most gown-heavy few days on the fashion calendar - Paris Couture Week. These biannual shows are where brands showcase their most painstaking, breathtaking designs to press but, more importantly, the high-net-worth clients who will send a flurry of orders for next season moments after the show finishes.

The dresses, which tend to be princess-like in proportion, are always high on their wishlists. And this season, they’ve got plenty to choose from. Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior conjured Greek goddesses for the 21st century, with braided necklines (and hair), gold-leaf necklaces, metallic fringe and, perhaps most majestically, peacock embroidery. Ralph & Russo, a red carpet favourite with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie, always majors in candy-coloured gowns festooned with girlish frills. This season, there was a bow-shouldered, sequined column that would be winner material on any of the best actress nominees at next month’s Oscars.

Giambattista Valli, known for his frothy tulle creations that command entire limos to themselves, decided against the traditional show format for spring 2020, exhibiting his collection, instead, for public view at the Jeu de Paume in the Tuileries Gardens. Inspired by Sixties society women, the gowns were a feathered, full-skirted, jewel-toned, extravagantly-puffed, beautifully-trained delight to behold.

Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard served up real-world gowns, with jaw-dropping price tags no doubt, in a palette of almost pure black and white. Kaia Gerber’s was particularly butter-wouldn’t-melt, featuring a sweetheart neckline, a tulip skirt and a deliciously simple sheer shoulder covering. Scroll through our favourites, and pick yours, below.

READ MORE: Balenciaga Is Reopening Its Storied Couture House For The First Time In 52 Years