Opening image courtesy of Chloé
Words Leelou Reboh
Like every season, the Spring/Summer 2025 fashion month celebrations came to a close in Paris earlier this month, with Coperni delivering one of the most playful runway settings to date at Disneyworld. Paris is home to the biggest industry players, and once again, the French capital proved itself to be the ideal playground for these renowned fashion Houses upon which to expand their creative vision. This season, silhouettes got bigger and bolder at Loewe, structure was of the essence for Courrèges and ATLEIN, intricate patterns were in at Louis Vuitton, and Chloé made us long for the Summer days just gone.
Although the variety of choice might make it difficult to keep up with, our OVERDUE team prepared the perfect roundup to keep you in the loop of the collection the ‘crème de la crème’ presented during Paris Fashion Week!
Vaquera
It seems like the New York City-based brand keeps getting cooler and edgier with every season. For their SS25 collection, Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee — the creative duo behind the label — elevated streetwear to the perfect balance of casual chic and overdressed party-wear, making for the perfect uniform of any fashionista strutting down the Lower East Side. Looks combined voluminous shoulders and puffy skirts with patterned denim and itty bitty satin and coated leather bustiers. Headwear with a nautical, pirate-like twist made an impression, and brought a youthful playfulness to the looks.
Louis Vuitton
Nicolas Ghesquière’s work at Louis Vuitton has showcased a consistent blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern influences, and SS25 was created in continuity with this ideal. The unexpected volume of the peplum waistlines featured on both jackets and buttoned vests paired perfectly with the trendy striped capris or asymmetric pants. Playing with patterns and textures, tweed and horizontal lines seemed to have captured Ghesquière’s keen interest this season. As fashion and art are constantly interacting with one another, the designer used some of the pictorial works of artist Laurent Grasso as prints for some of the garments, demonstrating that the two are in fact part of the same entity.
Saint Laurent
For his ninth collection at the helm of the label, Anthony Vaccarello paid homage to the late founder of the brand by revisiting the iconic suits Saint Laurent used to wear. Toying with imposing shoulder pads and baggy jackets, Vaccarello made it clear that he was designing for strong, confident women, unafraid to take on the world. SS25 is a story of empowerment, and recounts the journey from darkness to light through dress, as the garments evolved from serious, neutral formalwear to colourful frilled skirts layered over lace slips, and 80s-inspired patterned jacquard jackets.
Loewe
The beauty of Loewe’s SS25 collection was all in the details. This season, Jonathan Anderson wished to step away from the grandiose production that is the usual fashion show, and for his guests’ attention to be focused solely on the design mastery behind the garments. What appeared to be simple graphic tee-shirts was in reality printed on white feathers, then assembled to reassemble the portrait or artworks of some of the world’s most renowned artists — Chopin, Bach, Van Gogh — and the apparent crinkles on the cocoon-shaped dresses were upon closer inspection intricate incisions throughout the fabric. The silhouettes were at times extravagant — bouncy, flowing, voluminous — a stark contrast from the some of the seemingly everydayness of some of the looks, which reflected Anderson’s intent to strip the collection down to the core of what fashion design is after all: craftsmanship and quality.
Chloé
Boho continued to dominate at Chloé, and Chemena Kamali demonstrated that there was nothing more desirable than the carefree vibe that permeated 70s culture. Billowing muslin dresses with lace trims and loose strings were very much the focus of Kamali’s SS25 collection, and there was a distinct overarching theme echoing meticulously crafted, high fashion lingerie. Colours were faded, as though the models had spent days grazing under the summer sun, and SS25 was overall tainted by a nostalgic feeling of longing for warmer days.
Mugler
As Mugler celebrated its 50th anniversary on the runway, Casey Cadwallader reflected on the House’s history, and used it as a fertile ground allowing for a renewed growth of his creative vision. The garments were in full — futuristic — bloom, a nod to Thierry Mugler’s fascination with sci-fi and technology. Building upon the technical, almost architectural construction of the garments synonymous with the label, the collection featured mesmerising elements of corsetry, and structural silhouettes. Broad shoulders were at the rendezvous, and playful, spiky wigs mirrored the sharp lines of the looks.
JennyFax
Making their European debut with their SS25 presentation ‘come together’, Taiwanese-born and Tokyo-based label JennyFax won their Parisian audience over with a collection craftily blending ultra-feminine elements with strong story-telling. Models became characters set in a traditional Parisian café, each embodying a specific archetype — a bar manager, a secretary, a Lolita fashion-loving teen, and even a mother on a family vacation. Beyond the playfulness of the narrative imagined by Shueh Jen-Fang, JennyFax’s creative director, the designer also wished to spotlight her dedication to body positivity by designing a silicone corset moulded after her own body. By creating variations of the corset and showcasing it across the models’ various body types, Jen-Fang delivered a powerful statement about self-acceptance and inclusion.
Courrèges
After the steamy sensation that was Nicola Di Felice’s AW24 collection for Courrèges — for which models literally walked the runway with their hands down their pants, and the floor inflated akin a human chest to the fliratious rhythm of the show mixtape — the designer further explored the sensual body into SS25, though arguably playing down the explicit nature exhibited in his previous collection at Courrèges. Cut outs and squared bodices sublimed the natural lines of both the male and female forms, while asymmetrical straps revealed cheeky collarbones. Inspired by the Möbius band, Di Felice aimed to create a collection bound by repetition, and examined the variations of its ripples. Jackets were a key focus for the designer, as he drew his inspiration from a 60s archive couture cape, and deconstructed the garment to forge his own.
ATLEIN
ATLEIN SS25 was all about structure and precision. Finding his inspiration in the radical lesbian movements of the 80s and 90s in London, Antonin Tron aspired to represent the complex and multifaceted femininity of women by revisiting the driving punk and post-punk dress codes of that era. Masterful ties and cut outs revealed or concealed as they pleased in a DiY spirit reminiscent of the approach to fashion at that time, and the mix of utilitarian-style garments with the label’s signature drapes provided an insight into the intricacies of Tron’s historical references. The designer branched out beyond his affinity for viscose jersey and experimented with textures for his SS25 collection, embroidering Swarovski crystals onto his dresses, or further explored leather alternatives by using jersey coated to resemble suede. Tron’s curiosity drives his motive behind his collections, and allows the designer to create unique pieces whilst preserving a modern trendiness to them.
Alexander McQueen
After his much criticised debut collection, all eyes were on Séan McGirr and his SS25 for the McQueen label. Inspired by the Irish folkloric tale of the Banshee, McGirr toyed with hand-shredded and ruffled silk and sequins embroidered bodices to emulate the eeriness of the spirit. Twisted suits also constituted an integral part of the collection, echoing McQueen’s background in tailoring which heavily influenced his work. Despite the spine-chilling origin of the banshee, McGirr gave the myth a new meaning by creating garments for driven, intuitive women. Rather than seeing her as the bearer of a bad omen, the designer saw a new light in the banshee: one of a guiding force.
Schiaparelli
Once again, Daniel Roseberry demonstrated that he understood what women want to be adorned in. Maintaining the balance between couture and ready-to-wear, waists were cinched in corsets and proportions were amplified to give the looks a surreal allure, which Elsa Schiaparelli was so fond of. Knitwear was the driving force of the collection, in reminiscence of the founder’s love for the craft. Sumptuous blues and rich shades of yellow caught the eye, and were complimented by the vast array of purses and clutches. The intentional timelessness of the collection was Roseberry’s wish to design not just for his current customer base, but for ‘their daughters and granddaughters’, establishing the collection to what he defined as ‘Future Vintage’.
Dries Van Noten
For his ultimate collection at the helm of his eponymous label, Dries Van Noten made it a point to remind the fashion world that, although he might be retiring from fashion, his legacy would go on to surpass him. As per Van Noten’s habit, his tailoring was exquisite. Evolving from neutrals, to bright shades of salmons and oranges, to creams, blacks, metallics and then some, the designer showcased one last time that his range went beyond what one could expect from him. A few prints punctuated the looks, and sheer over-layers brightened the otherwise more traditional pace of the collection. One thing is for sure, Dries Van Noten will have forever changed the industry’s approach to fashion, and his departure will leave many eager to discover where his future endeavours will take him.
Valentino
For his debut at the helm of Valentino, Alessandro Michele was nothing short of his usual playfulness, and his collection featured Michele’s signature touch of colourful maximalism and bedazzlement. Models seemed to be walking straight out of the parallel universe Michele has been crafting throughout his career, and nodded at the House’s free-spirited heritage. Both the garments and accessories played equal parts in the world-building of the collection, fusing more retro styles like turbans and extravagant wide brim hats, with bejewelled headpieces and tulle veils. SS25 steered away from casual wear, and embraced overdressing, reflecting a true testament to Michele’s personal style and dressing philosophy.
Imagery courtesy of ShowStudio.