Franck Sorbier fuses Andean splendor with Parisian pageantry on couture runway

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PARIS (AP) — Franck Sorbier, the Paris couturier officially inducted into the haute couture fold in 2005, delivered a regal, Inca-inspired spectacle on Wednesday that fused theater and artistry with the cosmopolitan codes of couture.

The show’s standout image was a model crowned in gold, wielding a giant sun-topped staff—a visual exclamation point for a collection steeped in pageantry and myth.

Sorbier’s silhouettes had a historic weight, with loose, voluminous skirts swirling beneath strict, structured bodices, conjuring a sense of ceremony. Gilded chainmail and coin-like embellishments suggested a protective armor, but rendered in delicate, sleeveless forms.

A poncho, fringed in sumptuous gold, mixed Andean spirit with Parisian panache—while elsewhere, lush, unfurling coats were embroidered with organic, figurative motifs that seemed to grow across the fabric. Detail shone throughout: dense ruffles poking from the bottom of old-world shirts, rich shawls cascading with embellishment, and surfaces that rewarded a second, closer look.

Sorbier’s backdrop was equally arresting — a landscape of bubbling, volcanic fabric, amorphous and vividly alive, underscoring his ability to transform couture into a living tableau.

Known for merging cultural narratives with technical virtuosity, Sorbier proved once more that Paris couture can look backward and outward, drawing inspiration from global myth while staying rigorously hand-crafted.

Through this cross-cultural lens, Sorbier’s latest collection stood as a bold reminder that couture, at its best, is both spectacle and narrative.