Streetwear, especially jeans, is getting more space in couture fashion.

The recently concluded Paris Couture Week, for instance, saw brands sending out jeans and denim separates mixed with white shirts and other pieces.

Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino experimented with upcycled Levi’s, Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture showcase with designer Julien Dossena featured beaded jeans, and Balenciaga nailed stealth chic by exhibiting faux denims (which were actually hand painted canvas).

According to designer Ridhi Mehra, fashion, both on and off the runway, has drastically evolved. Back in the day, simpler things would look nice, but now there’s so much creativity, talent and innovation that everything now turns towards couture, she says.

Kaia Gerber wears a creation for the Valentino Haute Couture Fall/winter 2023-2024 fashion collection presented in Chantilly, north of Paris, on 5 July
(AP)

“The recent presence of jeans and plain white shirts on the runways of Paris Couture Week suggests a shift towards a more casual and easy chic vibe in the world of high fashion,” says Mehra. “This departure from traditional couture materials and techniques indicates a desire to embrace a more relaxed and accessible aesthetic and the desire to connect with the modern consumer who values comfort, versatility, and individual expression.”

Mehra adds that couture can be worn in several ways. “Just like how Diana Penty clubbed an embellished golden top with a pair of denim (during the Rahul Mishra show at the Paris couture week earlier this month). It is such a cool approach and it totally depends on how you style it. Couture can be casual, formal, easy, comfortable and at the same time it can be a super statement,” she quips.

Designer Nupur Kanoi notes that couture is a craft and will always be so, intentionally understated or visually effusive.

“This season seems to have a sense of humor in its execution… a lateral representation of the general expectation of opulence, while retaining the very essence of craft. There are painstakingly ingenious techniques that appear nonchalantly effortless, from denim but dressier (encrusted or handpainted) to simple draped dresses in cashmere,” she says. “It’s all about the luxury in construction and process.”