If Anyone Can Make Haute Couture Swimwear Happen, It's Viktor & Rolf

You might wonder how a brand that’s typically all about more-is-more fabric, larger-than-life ballgowns and avant-garde everything could translate into swimwear. Well, Viktor & Rolf did just that — and during Haute Couture Fashion Week, no less.

In a 180-degree turn, rather than send models out in gowns that cover them entirely, the house opted to transition its signatures into one-piece bathing suits and bikinis for its Fall 2023 Haute Couture collection. Though working in a different category, Viktor & Rolf’s signatures remain. There are bows everywhere, for one, increasing in size from bottom to bra or acting as shoulder pads.

Different culturally significant phrases also make an appearance, as per usual, including the famed “I Wish You Well” that Gwyneth Paltrow said to the man who sued her after a skiing accident. (Paltrow won the case, and also won best courtroom style of the year.)

Other noteworthy looks include a colorful one-piece floating beside (and attached at the hip to) a nude version of the same style, actually worn by the model — a riff on the attached-at-the-hip gowns featured in the brand’s Spring 2023 Couture show.

If you’re tired of the same-old, embellishment-less swimsuits and are looking for some more extravagant fashion to pull out poolside, you’re in for a treat. See the full Fall 2023 Haute Couture collection from Viktor & Rolf below.