Couture Spring/Summer 2024 Goes All In on Bold, Dramatic Looks

This season’s meticulously crafted, seriously striking couture from Valentino, Armani, and Schiaparelli evokes major feelings.

L'OFFICIEL May 2024 Couture

PHOTOGRPAHY Vincent Flouret

STYLING Giulio Martinelli

With all the latest and greatest couture collections, it's all about drama. Through sweeping silhouettes, innovative use of fabric and material, and dazzling details, designers are embracing spectacle in a big way.

Although many of today's greatest fashion houses trace their lineages decades—and centuries back, in some cases—they are ever-cognizant of the rapidly changing trends and styles of the modern era. Quiet luxury has reigned supreme as a major fashion move, but as the market for understated aesthetics has quickly become oversaturated, designers are bouncing back through couture looks that represent a new era for the fashion industry steeped in melodrama, extravagance, and an unapologetic sense of confidence.

This season, designers are breathing new life into floral designs and infusing the quintessential spring and summertime motif into groundbreaking couture fashions.

Flowing dress trains and sheer paneling feature swirling, dizzying botanical patterns against elegant, architectural silhouettes, elevating the floral motif beyond its typical look. Although these patterns are typically seen in vibrant hues evocative of the blossoming natural growth associated with warmer months, here, they're toned down to neutral colors to create cohesive styles.

Through airy fabrics like tulle and chiffon, designers incorporate a show-stopping sense of visual tension into couture pieces, as seen in voluminous tops with shoulder pieces reminiscent of vintage designs and larger-than-life brimmed hats.

Thick, woven fringe and feathers make unforgettable appearances in this couture shoot, adding unconventional texture and body to looks through styles like lengthy skirt hems, capes, and elegant column dresses.

Understated, sleek chic looks are instantaneously transformed through the inclusion of hundreds of tiny rhinestones and glitter-woven fabrics. These dazzling details shine against darker fabrics, adding further depth and drama to pieces that are simultaneously vintage-inspired and innovatively futuristic all at once.

This season, uncover all the emotion woven into rousing couture looks and take this emerging design philosophy as a sign to incorporate a little bit more drama into your own wardrobe.