A Look Back at the Most Spectacular Couture Details of 2019

Watching couture come down a runway can be an emotional experience. Some editors have admitted to being so moved by a collection and the lovingly hand-rendered details of its garments that they’ve cried. Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli elicited tears at his spring couture show in January of this year, not only for its beauty, but also for its meaning. With this question top of mind—“What if Cecil Beaton’s photograph of those Charles James dresses could be with black women?”—he set about casting Valentino’s most diverse outing ever.

But Piccioli wasn’t the only designer to enchant couture onlookers this year. Virginie Viard made a quietly elegant Chanel debut, while Iris Van Herpen and Maison Margiela’s John Galliano took a futuristic, almost sci-fi approach to their flou. We’ve gathered the most striking details and extravagant atmospheres from the top shows, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.