Paris Fashion Week: Ella Emhoff Debut and Other Haute Couture Show Highlights

(CNN) – The most recent edition of the haute couture fashion shows in Paris marked a return to relative normality, as the balance between digital and face-to-face events shifted in favor of the latter, and more international guests returned to the show. town this week to soak up the atmosphere.

Balenciaga came into the limelight when the brand, led by its creative director Demna Gvasalia, introduced its first haute couture collection 53 years after the house’s founding designer, Cristóbal Balenciaga, closed the haute couture business in 1968.

Ella Emhoff debuted at Paris Fashion Week with Balenciaga. Credit: Courtesy of Balenciaga

The 40-year-old Georgian designer, who has been designing ready-to-wear for Balenciaga for six years, presented an extensive collection of 63 styles.

Jeans and T-shirts rarely appear on haute couture runways, but the show presented a distinctly modern take on haute couture, mixing casual wear with formal dresses and Demna’s signature oversized outerwear. only his first name).

Ella Emhoff’s debut

At the same show, flamboyant model Ella Emhoff (US Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter) made her own debut, walking for the first time at Paris Fashion Week.

Kanye was rumored to be in the crowd, mysteriously disguised in a ski mask, and other high-profile guests included Bella Hadid, Lewis Hamilton and Anna Wintour.

In every Chanel couture show there is a girlfriend. Notable brides include Lily Rose Depp, Linda Evangelista, Devon Aoki, and Kendall Jenner. This year, Margaret Qualley was commissioned to play the role. Credit: Mikael Jansson

For his part, France’s enfant terrible, Jean Paul Gaultier, handed over the creative reins to Sacai designer Chitose Abe, who dived into the iconic brand’s archive to present her own take on Gaultier. His collection is the first in a series of guest designers who will work with the house after Gaultier announces his retirement in January 2020.

Other highlights of the four-day event included Margaret Qualley’s (daughter of Andie MacDowell’s) wedding cameo in Chanel, Victor & Rolf’s playful take on royal fashion, and Iris Van Herpen’s parachute models.

Both skydiving and haute couture “give up the thrill of putting aside everything that keeps you grounded,” Iris Van Herpen said in the collection’s show notes. Credit: Alexandre Aimard

The American brand Pyer Moss had planned to close the shows on Thursday with a historic first. The brand’s founder and chief creative officer, Kerby Jean Raymond, is the first black American designer invited to run on the official Paris haute couture calendar.

Sadly, the time in Irvington, New York, where the parade was scheduled, had other plans. Just as guests began to arrive at the venue, the former residence of black businesswoman CJ Walker, a storm broke out that forced the event to be rescheduled for Saturday.

You can watch the broadcast of Saturday’s Pyer Moss event below:

– CNN’s Leah Dolan contributed to this report.