The fashion powerhouse presented a deliberately low-key new haute couture collection last week, with designer Chiuri making the statement that the world's most expensive clothes don't need to shout their value
Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said she wanted the French label's latest prestige range to glorify classic craftsmanship rather than the flashy designs that rack up "likes" on social media.
"It's hidden luxury," the Italian explained as the collection of dreamy ballgowns and neat, 1940s-inspired tailoring went on show before the global fashion elite in Paris.
"The audience that buys couture is not an audience that spends its time on Instagram," she told AFP.
"The audience for couture knows what couture means—it's a piece that's made especially for you, just for your body, and for that it needs time."
Chiuri went back to basics for autumn/winter 2018-19, kicking off with a muted palette of nudes, navies and dusty pinks which eventually warmed into tangerine, leaf green and colourful embroidery.
Many of the models wore demure berets or the kind of timeless, full-skirted gowns that wouldn't go amiss at the stiffest of high society balls, but Chiuri was also not afraid to let the odd nipple peek through.
After taking a strong feminist stance in her recent work, she also threw a few sharp gold power-suits among a wealth of feminine touches such as dainty embroidered flowers.
(Related: What Goes Into A Chanel Haute Couture Dress?)