Haute Couture – From Canvas to Camisole

As art continues to transcend traditional mediums, textiles have entered the conversation of interdisciplinary creation. Fashion designers are pushing the boundaries of clothing to cement themselves as artists. Fashion ensembles now feature sculptural structure, hand-beading, flowy fabrics and overall awe-inspiring designs. Haute couture clothing pieces are extravagant, avant-garde and mind-blowing.

The ability to create a show-stopping haute couture collection is not for the weak and takes dedication and skilled hands. Here are three collections that stood out for their artful haute couture creations.

Schiaparelli: HAUTE COUTURE FALL/WINTER 2025-2026

Schiaparelli is well known for its over-the-top looks and constructions. The brand often experiments with texture and structure, ensuring a look has dozens of details to fawn over. Their Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2025-2026 collection utilizes a concise colour palette including grey tones, black, white and a simple pop of orangeish red. The collection relies more on texture than colour for its visual appeal while maintaining the classy and timeless nature of the brand. There are 30 looks total, fully showcasing Schaparaelli’s genius creative vision.

Look 11 is simple in texture and colour to allow the structure to shine through. The dress is strapless with a layered, slanted neckline drawing the eye to the waist. There is an obvious emphasis on the shape of the body created through a dramatic waist line and gathering that points to the hips of the dress. With fabric gracefully bunched and gathered near the hip, the look is elegant and feminine with an architectural touch.

Look 15 is once again subtle in colour but monumental in its details. The silhouette of this look blends the lines of femininity and masculinity with an emphasis on the waist and shoulders. The high-waisted yet capris pants are unique and allow the shoes to peek through. This look has a militant feel with epaulet-inspired shoulder pads. While reminiscent of a uniform, there are seemingly nods to men’s fashion of 1700s-1800s Europe. The look has aspects of historical men’s fashion paired with a feminine emphasis on the curvature of the body.

Furthermore, this piece takes inspiration from matador bull fighters as well, seen in the silhouette of the piece. The fabric itself is artfully adorned with embroidery, beading and stunning appliques. Hints of an avant-garde nature peek through in the hair choice for this look, which seems to contradict the elegance with a whimsical and almost juvenile hairpiece. Overall, there are beautiful nuances in look 15 showing the range of this collection.

Look 18 is another example of the intersections of masculinity and femininity seen through a more classic suit silhouette. Featuring a tie and button-up shirt, this look combines typical notions of business formal with an eccentric silver fabric. This look dons two saddle-like shoulder pads that sit proudly on each side. This gives a wing-like look to the silhouette as well as almost a metallic structure and reflective visual appeal.

This look is almost reminiscent of armour and is structured as such. Schaparelli describes the look to have the spirit of a matador, similar to look 15, with nods to details that may be worn by a bullfighter. Overall, this look has endless character and is sure to garner attention.

Look 24 is one of only three red looks in this collection. Of those looks, this one is by far the most sculptural, using a thicker satin-like material to create the illusion of a female body. The sculpted aspect of the dress appears on the back of the piece, creating a unique image and almost mirroring the front of the body on both sides instead of just one. This is a beautiful example of showing the body in an unconventional way to add intrigue to the textile. The necklace on the nape of the model is also facing the back once again.

What makes this necklace so unique, and what is arguably the feature of the piece, is that its shape mirrors that of an anatomical heart and, in fact, beats like one. The crystal-encrusted necklace physically moves in a beating motion, creating a truly whimsical shock and awe factor. For once, the best part of a piece is actually on the back.

Maison Margiela Artisanal Collection 2025

Maison Margiela is a well-known fashion brand that has staked its claim in the world of high fashion and artistic creation. The brand is known on social media for the highly popular Margiela tabi shoes, which look like an animal hoof. That is not the only thing the brand does right, however, as they create stunning collections year after year. Their Artisanal Collection 2025 hones their very best work, creating a thought-provoking collection of iconic pieces. The inspiration for this collection comes from the architecture of Flanders and the Netherlands, with nods to Gothic church figures and statuesque forms.

Look 7, featuring an encrusted crystal headpiece and a papery cape-like piece, speaks beautifully to the gothic and robust nature of this collection. The look embodies a departed chrysalis with a fabric similar to the natural and organic texture of a cocoon or insect wing. The model’s face is fully covered by the black diamond mask, which is a motif seen throughout the collection. The choice to cover the face speaks to the artful nature of these pieces, emphasizing form and the clothing itself. The piece undermines any understanding of the body’s shape, almost elevating it to something otherworldly.

Though simple in form, this piece is absolutely haunting and leaves the audience to wonder more about its meaning.

Look 10 showcases a glittering, reflective gold silhouette fully encompassing the model’s body. This piece seems to mirror various bronze sculptures in history, as well as coins seen in ancient currency. Other interpretations could paint this dress as similar to a gold nugget or fool’s gold. Regardless, the piece is magnificent, once again featuring a mask that hopes to persuade the eye to the rest of the dress.

Look 20 has its own metallic aspects similar to the previous, but instead with metal in a later stage of life. This look features a copper metal mask and a skirt with a darker copper tone. One could argue that the skirt could have been made to look rusted and worn, as opposed to the polished gold in look 10. The skirt has both leather-like elements and metal-inspired fastenings that add a mixed medium feel. The top, which seems to have the form of a sweater and the fit of a corset, is adorned with tastefully placed crystals and other rust tones. 

Look 34 is whimsical and colourful, leaning away from the harsh metal forms of its formers. This look is reminiscent of gardens and foliage, with a mask blending seamlessly into the dress. The silhouette of this piece floats down the body with a softer structure. The colour palette is reminiscent of the Renaissance or Impressionist art eras. This look lends itself to the more feminine and mellow side of this collection. 

Look 38 is hauntingly beautiful with a draping silhouette and soft sand colour palette. The look, with skin tight at the top and softening at the bottom, is a tender homage to ancient Greek statues. It is the second piece in the collection to feature a necklace with crystals cascading down the nape of the model. The necklace looks similar to royal jewels or crowns, seemingly another nod to history. 

Look 44 is one of twelve masculine looks in this collection with a suit featuring a crystal-covered jacket and undershirt. The jacket and upper half of the look greatly juxtapose the simple black slacks. That contradiction, however, allows the jacket to shine through as the main feature of the look. The rich jewel tones of maroon and crimson add a royal sheen alongside shiny diamonds and stones. 

Robert Wun Fall/Winter 2025 Couture “BECOMING”

Robert Wun is a designer and label based in London, curating nature-inspired artistic collections with modern character. His collections are art draped onto the human form with intricate construction and heavy attention to detail. The Fall/Winter 2025 Couture Collection, “Becoming,” experiments with form, angularity and structure. This collection features other-worldly designs in a colour palette of black, white, red and various jewel tones.

With some shapes manifesting more organically and others more brutally, this collection is an awe-inspiring example of high art. 

Look 1 is straight out of a thriller with white satin fabric adorned with crystal blood spatters and hand prints. This look is more than killer, showing the intersections between couture and horror. The vibrant, vermillion spatters contrast the stark white base wonderfully, and even though they are beaded on, they still show the organic form of the matter. There is structure to the dress while maintaining a soft and pillowy feel. 

Look 5 is briefly reminiscent of look 1 with dark splatters of its own. This look mirrors an ink-spattered page with charcoal beading littered all over the coat. The overt collar hangs over the neck of the piece, accompanied by oversized shoulders and a delicately A-line form towards the bottom of the coat. This look features a wide-brim flat hat with its own crystal beading, tying into the rest of the look. There is a professional, almost mysterious energy to this look, mirroring that of an old-school detective or a Wall Street mogul. 

Look 7 carries the business formal theme from look 5 with pinstripe fabric and dramatic structure. It is hard to know what to focus on, given the numerous unique aspects of this look. The model is holding a mannequin form with its own suit, almost speaking to the reclaiming of corporate styles in fashion. At the waist of this look are two pieces of fabric sticking to the side, mirroring a dagger collar seen in the suit fashion of the 70s. Having the “collar” of the piece at the waist almost flips the suit silhouette upside down, as seen through the headpiece with an organic leaf-like shape. 

Look 23 features a whimsical, violet dress with a sheer, glittering fabric that envelops the model in its entirety. The fabric cascades in a veil-like fashion with crystals lining the edge of the piece. The gown is amethyst in nature, given the crystals and purple hue. Similar to other pieces in the collection, two faux arms are holding up the veil to give the illusion of multiple limbs. This look is as intricate as it is eclectic, showing a new way to imagine structure and textile. 

Look 25 once again features faux limbs, this time in the form of a small woman atop the head of the model. Its shape arches over the top of the head with fabric stretching over the form. This creates another veil-like structure. The dress itself also experiments with layering, with two sets of bust details and a corset on top of a softer fabric. This dress is almost bridal in its construction, with a full skirt and petticoat to give the dress structure and volume.

This is the final look of the collection, wrapping up a slew of breathtaking pieces.

Concluding Couture

All of these designers have skillfully contributed their own artful textiles to the world of haute couture in ways that rival collections of the past. As clothing further evolves past everyday clothing and into the gallery, it leaves us to wonder what could be next in the world of fashion. Regardless, there is no doubt that textiles have come a long way and will continue to flourish.