Breathtaking Moments from Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture Fashion Week

Each year, the couture collections from the great European fashion houses provide us with hand-crafted confections that elevate the aesthetic bar from just your every day apparel to something truly transcendental. This season is no exception, though perhaps the exalted collections from the premiere fashion houses are inhabiting a new space in our minds—in the hardest of times, they have bestowed upon us the gift of visual escape; a chance to lose ourselves for a moment in a fashion fantasy, when many of our real lives have centered in recent months on sweatpants.

The week got off to smashing start with Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry, presenting a collection of surrealist infused garments woven with golden threads, echoing visuals from the early 20th century art movements. Then, at Christian Dior, the gilded age continued, though with a different historical reference: this time it was the zodiac and tarot, woven into exquisite tapestries and brocade, whisking us away away into a vision of medieval romance. Another highlight: Chanel. The house presented a bright and peppy collection of pinks and florals, imbuing a sense of freedom and rebirth; assuring us that after a hard winter, Spring will come once again.

Here, some of the best looks from the Spring Summer 2021 Haute Couture collections.