Viktor & Rolf couture show features upside-down and sideways gowns
Jacqui Palumbo, CNN
Paris Haute Couture Week is in full swing with dramatic runway shows and surreal, lavish looks worn by front-row A-Listers — with an unrecognizable, red-crystal-covered Doja Cat lighting up the internet earlier this week. On Wednesday, the label Viktor & Rolf (literally) turned fashion-upside down.
At the Spring-Summer 2023 show, models walked the runway in tulle princess gowns and multi-tiered dresses that were flipped in every direction.
While some of the dresses were worn horizontally or on a diagonal, revealing corset undergarments in neutral tones, one model walked with a fully upside-down dress, the hemline obscuring her face and her legs emerging from the sweetheart neckline. Another walked alongside her dress, attached at the hip.
The whimsical show was a feat of construction, with each gravity-defying garment remaining in place. Images from the show quickly spread across social media, with commenters calling it “absurd” and “insane” (in the best way).
“Couture shows are meant to be over the top, fun and completely unrealistic to buy for everyday use and viktor and rolf absolutely nailed this,” one Twitter user posted. Michelle Visage, producer and judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, commented on Instagram: “You’ll see them on the runway of @rupaulsdragrace THAT’s for sure.”
The avant-garde fashion label Viktor & Rolf, helmed by Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, is known for putting on playful, innovative shows featuring exaggerated silhouettes and high-concept narratives. Their Autumn-Winter haute couture collection included two versions of each look: layered suiting with stiff, cavernous necklines and puffed shoulders that the designers transformed onstage into softer, draped ensembles. The previous season, ensembles with ultra-high necklines and shoulders seemed to swallow the models’ necks.
At the Spring-Summer 2023 show, front-row attendees included actor Lisa Rinna and model Coco Rocha, as well as Doja Cat, who continued her absurdist streak in a pinstripe brown suit from the luxury brand, accessorizing with blue sunglasses and fake eyelashes applied as eyebrows, a mustache and goatee.
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