IN FINE FORM

As Olympic fever enveloped the haute couture season for Autumn/Winter 24, designers found themselves rethinking the body, and consequently, the silhouettes that have built their brands.

- JACQUIE ANG

CHANEL

This was the first collection without a creative director since 1983, when the late Karl Lagerfeld took the creative helm of the house. His successor, Virginie Viard, had announced her exit less than three weeks ago, leading to Fashion Creation Studio being credited for this collection.

For the show, French playwright and director Christophe Honoré re-envisioned the opera house at Palais Garnier, which, according to Chanel, is a "place of creative freedom very dear to the house". The studio honoured the venue - home to the most famous phantom in opera - with a collection that walked a refined line between enigmatic elegance and theatrical pizzazz.

Leave it to Italian model Vittoria Ceretti to make a sensational entrance in a sweeping, floor-length opera cape in navy blue taffeta, echoing the shroud of mystery under which Viard departed. Nevertheless, the show must go on. Topping the voluminous cape, a bejewelled, flounced smocked collar framed the face of the model, whose hair was pulled back by an outsize grosgrain bow. Underneath the cape, Ceretti wore a wool jersey bustier fully embroidered with beaded tassels and smocked braids, and matching briefs embellished with embroidered braids, elevating the drama right from the opening look.

THOM BROWNE

The American designer's penchant for sports is well known. He swam competitively in his youth and played football with his family every Thanksgiving. He even turned the tradition into an annual game in Central Park under his eponymous brand. Little wonder that he could not resist referencing the Olympics in this couture collection that showed how muslin, regarded as the starting point of couture, could be marvellous. (Browne's dedication to muslin extends to the footwear with running spikes.)