Best of Paris Fashion Week (Or Month) (Or Whatever)

A lot of fashion happened in Paris in January. Here's the best of the best.

By Eric Shorey

I have been writing about fashion for many years but I must be honest with you, dear reader, I still have no idea when Fashion Week begins or ends. It’s clearly not a week; that is obviously a lie. I’ve also seen the phrase “Couture Week” (which I guess theoretically comes after Fashion Week) showing up places lately which, similarly, makes no sense, since couture shows often pop up before and after Fashion Week. Couture shows seem to be a season ahead of ready-to-wear? But only sometimes.

I’ve heard some people saying “Fashion Month” lately, which, sure. Google says this year’s Paris Fashion Week ran from January 17th to January 22nd. New York Fashion Week starts on February 10th and runs through February 15th, I guess? Fashion happens whenever it wants! Fashion can not be controlled!

But, so, anyway, here we are! Lots of fashion. Lots of controversy. Lots of dresses.

Some people put on Fail videos while doing work, but I pretty much always have a fashion show running in the background when I’m plucking away at some menial task, which means I’ve passively watched way more than enough to have strong opinions about what debuted this season. Here are the best shows I found:

Viktor and Rolf Haute Couture SS23

This imminently meme-able collection was actually pretty avant-garde! I love the way these Disney-princess dresses are dreamily twisted into bizarre sculptures that slice through the models’ bodies in truly strange ways. It’s a pretty funny optical illusion, but it’s also somehow very beautiful.

Schiaparelli Haute Couture SS23

Dante’s Inferno! Stuffed animal heads! Surrealism! Crystals! This was the show that everyone, for whatever reason, was talking about. Lots of standard Schiaparelli tropes here, like undulating shapes and bizarre silhouettes. It’s great! No notes!

Sacai AW23

Sacai first caught my eye last year when their lead designer collab’ed with Gaultier for a stunning haute couture show in which bomber jackets were deconstructed into full-on ball gowns. This time, head designer Chitose Abe is deconstructing Carhartt jackets. It’s more minimal and less high drama than the line with Jean Paul, but it’s still stunning.

Giambattista Valli Haute Couture SS23

Valli seems to have created the Platonic ideal of haute couture with these gigantic, structured, and deeply decadent ballgowns. Nothing really cutting edge here, but everything is just so elegant!

Robert Wun Haute Couture SS23

Robert Wun’s first Haute Couture show was inspired by designer horror stories: wine-stained gowns, burnt dresses, and garments caught in crystal rain coalesce in a magical story out of a seamstress’s worst nightmares. (Sorry for the shitty TikTok quality on this one, but they seem to not have released actual video quite yet.)

LOEWE Men’s FW23

Loewe went viral last year for their runway presentation in which models wore shoes and jackets with plants growing out of the fabric. This time, the brand’s gone ultra-minimalist. I absolutely love the shapes of these tunics, which are almost dresses or robes. I love how the sleeves fall to the sides while the models string their arms through the front slit. They look like angelic sci-fi priests.

Louis Vuitton FW23

Following the death of Virgil Abloh, it was unclear what creative direction LV would take. Clearly the groundbreaking designer’s spirit is still with the brand, as evident in this colorful and playful show. The sets, designed by whimsical director Michel Gondry, captured the spirit of childhood nostalgia and wonder.

Junya Watanabe FW23

I’m obsessed with all the militaristic and almost brutalist takes on outdoor wear in this collection. Gorpcore… but then make it cyberpunk.

Rick Owens FW23/24

Rick Owens is still just doing all the Rick Owens things he always does: futuristic, goth, melodrama. But he’s really, really good at that Rick Owens thing he always does. I must yet again insist: Rick Owens should have designed the new Dune movies.

LGN FW23/24

This ‘80s inspired menswear collection was my absolute favorite thing from Paris Fashion Limited Time Period 2023. Paying tribute to American Psycho, the beloved ultra-violent novel by Bret Easton Ellis, this collection cleverly and sleekly updates otherwise outmoded formal silhouettes by not-so-subtly hinting at a barely-hidden psychosis (slashes on sweaters, blood splattered faces, and murder weapons covered in leather). The models in this show are also staggeringly beautiful and interestingly curated — in that they’re not all 20-year-old waifish skeletons with high cheekbones.