Et voila! C'est ca! Paris a fini! I realise there are some crucial accents and that missing to make my French parfait, but I never learnt which CNTRL * # keys I must press to make these appear.
Anyway, back to the point...Paris Fashion Week is over, Marc Jacobs has left Vuitton after 16 years, fashion month comes to a grinding halt and every product developer is busily peering over hundreds of print outs from http://www.style.com to decide which shapes will be delivered into countless high street stores worldwide with inferior fabrics and finishes and about 6 months earlier than the designers can deliver it themselves! This season might be harder to do this as things were just so damn amazing! Here are my top picks for Paris, it's longer than the other 3, ready yourselves and enjoy as much as I did!! xxx
Christian Dior!
Instead of giving the world the minimalism we thought he would, Raf Simons has consistently surprised by splicing the history and heritage of Dior with a new found modernity and technology. This was no different! I loved the splitting and wrapping of the jackets, the front/back play of inserting a loud colourful print into an otherwise quiet jacket. The metallic set at the end which was almost an entire show in itself juxtaposed classic 'feminine' shape with surely the future of fabric, fantastic!
Dries Van Noten!
Dries is on fire! The florals were amazing, big, small, blurred and straight up. Ruffles aplenty. Layering, garments that should have been heavy (read coats/bombers) floated and bounced with decorative techniques. Metallics abound, love.
Iris Van Herpen!
The Dutch designer showed her first RTW presentation this season. A toning down of her couture still meant incredible construction techniques in leather. A review I read mentioned that the garments made sounds when they were rubbed by their wearer; to find a video would be grand!
Lanvin!
Shield your eyes ladies, this is an ode to shine! Of course there is nothing to be said for viewing a 3D moving object in a 2D static image; but in saying this every time I clicked the next arrow during this slideshow I squealed with excitement! I can picture the feeling of these liquid draped fabrics, the golden aviator suit would just melt on the body! Unabashed luxe, toda raba Alber!
Alexander McQueen!
Tribal clashes and African inspirations have been a prominent feature for next spring. My favourite iteration is here, with a tribe for the intergalactic future. I haven't (obviously) had the pleasure and privilege of touching these clothes or even seeing them in person, but thanks to the atmosphere shots on style.com, please check them out for yourselves, you can't not be gobsmacked at the detail and quality that has been put into them. Hand beading, feathering, weaving of a check, tiering of micropleated laser cut skirts, all spectacular!
Rochas!
The Zanini zaniness and prettiness of this collection won me over. The treatment over treatment of fabrics; colour and texture clashing in one outfit, the 'wetlook' velvet and sugary pastel palette is just so super sweet!
Sacai!
The queen of hybrid dressing; shirt becomes skirt becomes cardigan becomes dress becomes entire outfit; Chitose Abe, showed a vibrantly coloured collection which combined utility and couture. Sport-like fabrics with swinging cape backs and gown lengths, feathers and mesh, oxymoron perhaps?, but tres cool.
Valentino!
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli showed an absolute stunner at Valentino. I luckily happened to look online just as the show was about to start and got to watch it live (as I'm sure tens if not hundreds of thousands of others around the world did too). But the 70-odd look collection never lost pace for me. The indefinable references; medieval, bohemian, Eastern Europe, a hint of North Africa, showed the internationality and inter-periodity that fashion gives us. To die for embroidery on 'cocktail' dresses and full length gowns, many with the monastic flavour of this Valentino. Suede galore, in black and burnt burgundy with fringes. Jumpsuits aplenty, plain and patterned. Even leopard print made it in there, with the 'chambrayesque but for more elegant' tie neck blouse that was about the most modern item on show.
Yohji Yamamoto!
I love the Japanese. Miyake's collection, great. Comme, well, we shall have to see the actual collection, the sculpture was interesting indeed. Junya for me was so disappointing. Look, I don't wear women's clothing (unless its a dressup party then out come the legs), but of course I look at the clothes and think, would I wear this. And as much as I love love love Junya, about 80% of the collection didn't resonate with me. Others loved it, I wouldn't wear it :(. Review in review, brings us to Yohji! The exploration of sleeve joinings on black jackets was lovely and Yohji as usual and then BANG! Fluoro Yohji! Camo Yohji! Saturated brights Yohji! Of course he has used colour before, but for a long time I couldn't remember such a startling effect on my viewing self. It just made me smile, hope you did too!
