The Debuts Redefining Fashion’s Biggest Houses
- Fiona Holton
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
September is a whirlwind in fashion, but this season was unprecedented: With over 14 debuts in major houses, this is a turning point in a three-year-long game of musical chairs among creative directors. Understanding each director has been like understanding the web of inbred European monarchs. The game only makes a creative director's job harder. They have to showcase the brand's legacy as well as their own, while also being inventive and still appealing to their consumer. Five of the most notable debuts were at some of the most historic houses: Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga, Gucci and Bottega Veneta.
Louise Trotter replaced Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta, and as the now only female debut in fashion month, she came with something to prove.
Trotter put many of the boys in the club to shame with coats made of recycled fiber glass that move like the finest fur. She wove leather into dresses, coats and bags that bridge innovation, craftsmanship, and consumer friendly. This collection was a thoughtful and confident declaration of excellence by Trotter.
The former Bottega Veneta director, Matthieu Blazy, stunned the crowd of elites at his Chanel debut. To begin, the show was held at The Grand Palais that was transformed into a mystical planetarium to symbolize “The Universe of Chanel”.
The grand setting was reminiscent of Karl Lagerfeld’s time at Chanel, when the brand was last considered dominant on the runways. Blazy did nothing new at all — in an incredible way.
Chanel is meant to be the chic modern woman’s workwear, but in recent times the brand has been looking more like your grandma's sweater collection. Blazy elevated the brand's staples, tweed jackets and midi skirts, into every young aspiring Vogue writer's ideal closet. The looks gave us a fresh interpretation of classic Chanel.
Heritage must have been the theme of this season, because Pierpaolo Piccioli reminded us why Balenciaga was once a great house. Their former creative director, Demna, focused the brand around streetwear instead of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s ball gowns. Piccioli appears to have melded the two beautifully, with countless looks that could effortlessly shift from day to night.
There were reinvention’s of Cristóbal‘s famous tulip dress, styled like street wear to make the perfect Balenciaga look. Each look
resembled Piccioli’s previous work at Valentino, but featured the house’s traditional bold glamour.
Demna made his first major move outside of Balenciaga, showing a preview of what is to come during his reign of Gucci. Rather than present an entire show only a few months
after taking the position, Demna soft launched with “La Famiglia”, a lookbook viewed through a film titled “The Tiger”.
The collection was reminiscent of Tom Ford’s time at Gucci, which Demna has hinted was his inspiration. The collection had a range of large gowns, bold coats, streetwear, and nothing but a speedo. It was certainly Gucci, but appeared more like costume design for a movie about Gucci in the 80s. The large fur coats and sequin mini dresses are uninteresting, and unoriginal.
Gucci has suffered since new Valentino creative director Alessandro Michele left, with sales dropping 25% last quarter. This isn’t a full collection, but it seems as though Kering, Gucci’s parent company, is eager for Demna to focus more on sales than fashion.
Finally, possibly the most anticipated collection of the season, is Jonathan Anderson’s first women's collection at Dior.
In his 11 years at Loewe, he has become one of this generation's most valuable designers. The collection was initially teased with a red carpet debut at the Venice Film Festival, but the collection that was presented was quintessentially Anderson.
There were unique expertly tailored gowns, already worn by celebrities such as Anya Taylor Joy and Sabrina Carpenter. Many of the pieces recalled past Dior creatives, and made the models look like Dior dolls. The collection will be flawless on the red carpet, but many of the ready to wear looks fell flat. Colorful denim mini skirts and what appears to be cotton joggers felt out of place next to Anderson’s gowns and flouncy coats. Coming off of a slow period for Dior, and the internet's high expectations, Anderson put forth a good show with a path leading to even better.
Now that each of these designers have debuted, the pressure is on for their next collections in December and January. They will either cement themselves and their brands as leaders of the next generation, or fade off into obscurity.
Cover: Jonathan Anderson’s Dior womenswear debut
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