Haute Couture Week’s Top Trends Are So Dreamy

Haute couture is unlike other fashion weeks not only because you need to meet specific criteria and be approved by a commission to even get on the schedule, but also because it’s not really about setting trends. It’s a platform for those select brands to showcase the capabilities of their ateliers and to establish their creative voice in the purest, most unbridled way. What audiences can pick up on, looking at all the collections at once, are throughlines: silhouettes of interest, colors that are resonating at a specific moment in time, ideas being shared across ateliers.

At the Spring 2025 shows, which just wrapped in Paris, it was obvious that the uncertainty of the future, both in the short and long term, is weighing on designers’ minds. Alessandro Michele, making his haute couture debut, thought about lists while creating Valentino’s latest collection — how they give a semblance of control over the uncontrollable, how they represent infinite possibility, how they can become an obsessive practice. “They pushed me to imagine every unique, finite and unrepeatable dress, as an uninterrupted and potentially infinite catalogue of words: an ungrammatical list that proceeds through accumulation and juxtaposition,” he wrote in the show notes.

Rahul Mishra turned to the words of Carl Sagan, specifically the late astronomer’s seminal book, Pale Blue Dot, as he reflected on humanity’s collective impact on the planet and how that might affect future generations. The result is a collection “born of loss and the slow process of healing,” as seen through “rearview mirrors and paints vivid images of wild animals reclaiming our homes as their own,” per a press release.

Some designers sought answers by meditating on the past. At Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry revealed he was inspired by a series of antique ribbons he came across in a shop. He was drawn to the richness of their colors, which led him down a rabbit hole of “the great chapters of great couturiers from various decades: Madame Grès, Charles Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent, and Azzedine Alaïa. I didn’t want to copy their work,” he explained. “I wanted to learn from them.”

Gaurav Gupta, meanwhile, told a story of personal resilience and of healing, drawing from his own near-fatal accident and the practices that brought him comfort as he recovered. “This collection is not just a showcase of couture for us, it is a deeply personal testament to the power of resilience, transformation, and the infinite light within all of us,” he shared. “Through the flames of adversity, we found not just survival, but a rebirth that redefines the boundaries of creation and love.”

As personal shoppers diligently take their clients’ orders and everyone else speculates which nominee will secure which gown for the Oscars (Demi Moore in Armani Privé, perhaps?), let’s recap some of the biggest takeaways from the Spring 2025 Haute Couture shows in Paris.

Retro-Future Headdresses

There’s no concrete proof of this, but the hooded capes seen at Giambattista Valli, Georges Hobeika, Alexandre Vauthier, and more suggest these designers haven’t stopped thinking about Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2 — specifically, the mysterious and powerful Bene Gesserit, with their various luxe, increasingly elaborate head coverings — since it premiered almost a year ago. Now that the film’s up for a few Oscars, maybe the cast (and their stylists) will turn to these collections for a last bit of method dressing, before filming for Dune 3 begins next year.

Jellyfish Skirts

Domed and structured, with a contrasting fabric or fringe dropping from the hem to the floor, this emerging silhouette is unofficially dubbed the jellyfish skirt, for its resemblance to the sea creature. At Schiaparelli, it appears on a bustier dress with a nude tulle bottom, the undulating “clam basque” hemline inspired by an Alberto Giacometti lamp. The exposed crinoline at Dior, meanwhile, nods to its history and extensive archives.

Ethereal Tiers

Diaphanous tiered layers added an ephemerality to Giambattista Valli, Armani Privé, and Chanel Haute Couture gowns as they sashayed down the runways.

Ripple Effect

Schiaparelli utilized the source material for the Spring 2025 collection — duchess satin ribbons — to mimic the look of rippling waves, opened and twisted around to maximize the drama of the curve, on dresses. Michele’s Valentino, meanwhile, trimmed the bottom of a column skirt with tight rows of fabric cut into circle shapes, which add movement to an otherwise stiff silhouette.

3D Off The Shoulder

We often see haute couture collections riff on the familiar, reimagining it in a spectacular and unexpected way. Such is the case of the classic off-the-shoulder neckline, which is animated and brought into new dimensions for Spring 2025. At Gaurav Gupta, it takes on an almost orbital, out-of-this-world look, while at Giambattista Valli, it adds fullness to the hand-pleated silk chiffon florals.

Royal Blue

Designers are gravitating toward a rich, saturated shade of blue for Spring 2025. In addition to its ties to royalty, this color is often considered a sign of stability and calm — which explains its appeal at this specific moment in time.

Dégradé Tops

Perhaps a reflection of designers’ unease with the state of the world, a handful of collections find the beauty in deconstruction and decay, as seen by the gradually translucent dégradé tops at Alexandre Vauthier, Schiaparelli, Dior, and Gaurav Gupta.

Can’t-Look-Away Red

If the fact that you’re wearing haute couture wasn’t eye-catching enough, designers are ensuring their clients are the center of attention by dressing them in vivid red — gowns or separates, it doesn’t matter: It’s about not blending in.