Spring 2013 Couture.

With the couture shows complete for Spring 2013, I have a few favourites to share with you. Personally, Couture for me means glamour, ultra-feminine and luxurious.

Chloë Moretz arrives in Paris for the Dior show. 

For these reasons, my #1 Couture show for Spring 2013 is Elie Saab. By mixing both sparkling and matte textures with opaque and sheer panelling, the entire collection was an absolute feast on the eyes. The sparkle came from the extravagant beading and embellishments which, under the flashbulbs of the media, looked even more opulent as they went down the runway. The thin layers of matte organza gave a perfect juxtaposition to the beading, balancing out each piece beautifully. Below are my collection highlights:

It's funny how some brands fall off your radar for a few seasons but Valentino is definitely, in my opinion, back. After a faultless Menswear collection for AW13, the Spring Couture show was just as impressive. Again organza was the fabric du jour, with metres of the stuff creating beautiful, architectural gowns. The colour palette was largely black and off-white, but it wouldn't be a Valentino show without a splash of Valentino red! It was hard to choose my favourite pieces, but take a look at a few below:

Valentino also featured some beautiful floral pieces - see the full collection on Style.com - which was a massive theme at both Christian Dior and Chanel. The fashion giants seemed to go down similar routes this season: both went for sets inspired by nature, at Dior wigs were used and at Chanel there were dramatic headpieces and the prints and colour choices also seemed particularly similar. See a few images below to catch my drift:

The first two images are from the Dior show and the second two are from Chanel.

Overall, a beautiful set of collections (minus Versace - don't get me started on the bright pink fur) with some key trends: sheer, embellishment & floral. Can't wait to see if any looks get picked for the Oscars which are mere weeks away!