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In Paris, Nicolas di Felice, artistic director of Courrèges unveiled his Haute Couture collection as the latest guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier, receiving the baton from Simone Rocha.
When tapped to take on the reigns from a living legend, particularly one like Gaultier, whose madcap creativity has seen him transend the avante gard to become a household name, it’s easy to lean into the theatrics he has built his brand on. But for Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2024, Di Felice, took a more lateral approach, leaving no doubt as to who was behind this collection, which is actually what Gaultier intended.
“I find Nicolas to be bold and creative from the beginning of his career,” the veteran designer told WWD about the news of his next chosen guest designer. “Choosing him aligns perfectly with the idea of seeing what a designer can bring to my style.”
Since becoming artistic director in 2020, Belgian native Di Felice has been lauded for reviving the flailing Courrèges brand, quickly transforming the ’60s-mod relic to a contemporary favourite. As he has become known for designing with wearability in mind, though, some were skeptical about what he would produce for such a larger-than-life coutourier—but it seems he was excited to rise to the occassion.
“Even if I work on some more exceptional pieces for my own show, I mostly try to focus on a certain practicality and wearability at Courrèges,” the designer told WWD, “so it’s quite exciting for me to let that go for a bit… Jean Paul is the perfect mix of French couture and non-conformism [which] echoes a lot with my own trajectory.”
While there was plenty to gawk at from the moment an all-black trench coat dress opened the show with a layered collar that hovered over the model’s eyes, this was a collection rooted in a dramatic subtlety. With a focus on sharp silhouettes that cleverly played on Gaultier’s affinity for exaggerated proportions, the collection was largely made up of innovative eveningwear, culminating in a final sheer bridal-style dress that appeared to be adorned with embellishment, but was actually crafted from 10,568 hook-and-eye closures, closely followed by another chainmail ensembles which was revealed to be made from 42,000 links. As anyone could tell by the ease in which these dresses moved, there was nothing simple about the refinement in these structural shapes and ornate details.
What Di Felice pulled together with this show was striking in its elegance and beauty. Aside from a lack of colour—both JPG and Courrèges typically embrace a bolder palette—and some more industrial-style separates and cut-outs that loosened the connection between the designers, Di Felice cemented his place as a master of subversive minimalism, and what a joy it is to see his creative capabilities in a new light.
