Paris Couture Week: Valentino and Zuhair Murad

A Midsummer Night's Dream at Valentino 
I always have great expectations when watching a Valentino show, especially when it's a couture show. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli are masters at their craft and this 66 piece Valentino collection was absolutely divine.

It felt as though we were watching an act from A Midsummer Night's Dream, with dresses embroidered with floral designs, layers of sweeping silk draped upon the body and a sense of the Orient with decadent dragon patterns adorned onto column dresses. Everywhere you looked there was a sense of beautiful radiance, from the catwalk which was covered in tiny gold pieces of tissue to the models who walked barefoot with elegant snake headpieces in their hair. Rich golds, forest greens and the classic black and white were used to full effect, with amazing beige transparent fabrics used on the stunning gowns at the end of the show.

Angels and heavenly aura always spring to mind when watching Valentino. I loved the bright patterned long jackets which were layered over full gowns, as well as that amazing gold mesh creation and the heavy necklaces which wrapped around the middle of the dress like a medieval belt. Mariano Fortuny was the clear inspiration behind this collection, and this art like motif was reflected in the show, with Roman and Grecian influences shining through. Truly stunning.

A Haute Fairytale at Zuhair Murad
Zuahir Murad is one of those go to red carpet designers that will never let you down. Maybe thats why he's a firm favourite by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Cheryl Cole and Emma Stone. His haute couture collection yesterday was nothing short of amazing, with such exquisite jewel colours, full long dresses and even an incredible encrusted playsuit with large shoulder pads - that was one of the favourite looks.

Focusing on pastel colours such as soft baby blues, light pinks, acidic yellows and olive greens this show was feminine and light, but with plenty of glamour too. The show opened with a number of radiant white looks, with lots of see-through lace panelling on crinolined skirts and even a white pair of cigarette trousers, which was a nice change from all the dresses we're used to seeing. The waist was continually highlighted with a very womanly silhouette, using thin belts to cinch in the prominent feature. But above all, I loved the way the collection flowed running through like a kaleidoscope of colour. So rich and powerful, but also soft and very beautiful.

There was a nature theme, similar to Valentno with leaves and flowers entwined onto cage skirts. Pieces came shorter at the front and longer at the back showing off the leg, large duchess satin dresses felt from the hips cascading across the floor, while the wide wedding dress at the end of the collection was a perfect finale piece. I would definitely expect to see a number of these stunning pieces appearing on the Oscars red carpet next month, and will be pretty surprised if they fail to do so.