The 10 most memorable moments from Fall 2015 Couture Fashion Week in Paris

Date July 9, 2015

Chanel Fall 2015 Couture Kristen Stewart Julianne Moore — Photography by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

With a heat wave gripping Paris for much of Couture Week, there was a lot of soaked silk in the front rows. But on the runway, a fresh crop of fantasy was being dreamed up for Fall 2015.

Here are 10 other moments that made this season’s couture shows memorable.

1. Chanel-themed slot machines provided a fun welcome at Karl Lagerfeld’s pretend casino in the Grand Palais. Kristen Stewart, Julianne Moore, Rita Ora and other notables tried their luck at roulette and blackjack while models paraded around them.

2. Chanel also unveiled its latest high jewelry collection, Les Talismans, named for qualities that bring good luck. Standout pieces include a brooch with “ribbons” of red spinels, white diamonds and orange topaz punctuated by four sugar loaf yellow sapphires. It was quickly snapped up by a V-VIP client before hitting the sales floor in the Place Vendome jewelry boutique, even at a cool 705,000 Euros.

3. So much of haute couture seems made for charity balls, weddings or other special occasions. But Christian Dior’s corduroy pants, layered vests and neoprene coats by designer Raf Simons read “everyday”. Do the cost-per-wear math and haute couture might even start to make sense.

4. Fascination with ’60s futurism and ’70s boho barrel on. The two themes were stunningly addressed in designer Bruno Frissoni’s latest special edition collection for Roger Vivier. “I was inspired by Angelica Houston because she embodies the ‘70s in a sexy gypsy way, he explained while touring the knee-high silver gladiators with paillette “blooms,” metallic brocade platforms and sandals with feathered patchwork. Vivier’s special edition will be carried at Holt Renfrew’s Yorkdale and Vancouver locations (in addition to Bloor Street).

5. For most of couture week, iced ANYTHING was top of everyone’s wish list. But Ulyana Sergeenko was the designer who chilled everyone out best by putting mink and crystal ice cream cone handbags on the runway.

6. Legendary fashion collector Didier Ludot put nearly 180 of his treasures up for auction with Sotheby’s yesterday. So all week the fashion faithful have been flocking to the auction preview to experience a free 20th century fashion lesson like no other, from Dior’s New Look to whacked out Comme des Garçons.

7. This has been an OTT week for fashion parties. Prize for best venue goes to Giambattista Valli and M.A.C. Cosmetics for taking over the opulent Opera Garnier. Outside, the columned facade was bathed in a projection of rose blooms while inside Jessica Alba, Olivia Palermo, Naomi Campbell and Charlotte Casiraghi rocked to DJ Mark Ronson.

8. Tiffany & Co creative director Francesca Amfitheatrof was checking out of The Peninsula Paris as I arrived for lunch on the chic rooftop, where a full size replica of the first French transatlantic plane hangs. At just under a year old, The Peninsula has quickly become a nest for fashion out-of-towners. Also spotted in the lobby: Viktor and Rolf, just hours before their show.

9. Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren called their couture collection “wearable art” and they took the theme literally. Frames bordered dresses that featured old master-style portraits or modernist splatters, then the designers disrobed some of the models and hung their outfits on a wall. It was a brilliant play on the question of whether fashion is art. In Viktor & Rolf’s hands, it’s both.

10. With 26,000 orchids forming a runway and backdrop for Versace Atelier, every florist in Paris and beyond must have been out of stock. Continuing the theme, Donatella delivered sexy nymphs in floral crowns and peekaboo mousseline with vine-like straps.