With travel restrictions once more en vogue across Europe, Paris Fashion Week arrived at the end of the spring-summer cycle as an unusually localised affair. Just as the Milanese kept to Milan, so the Parisians held Paris, with the usual glitterati and paparazzi from far-flung Asia and America confined to their sweatpants and laptops as they watched proceedings from home.
Paris of course remains the fashion capital of the world, and while designers remained reticent in New York and London, even stellar shows in Milan from Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Prada gave way in the French capital to some hearty Gallic flair. France had planned for a largely virtual show, but as Paris Fashion Week drew closer, designers eyed the runway with a sense of devil-may-care.
Kenzo, Balmain, Chloé, Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton were among the fashion houses opting for in-person presentations, with the grand opening of Paris Fashion Week the preserve of Dior. In front of socially distanced pews and stained glass light-box installations, as twelve a capella singers recited nineteenth-century Corsican mourning hymns, Maria Grazia Chiuri reworked the iconic Dior Bar jacket with long-flowing gowns and strapped tunics, in navy blue and amber-hued paisley and floral prints.
At Kenzo, the environmentally conscious Felipe Oliveira Baptista drew inspiration from the Macedonian beekeeping documentary Honeyland. Models wore sunhats and hoods draped with protective netting, and guests received pots of honey from nearby Sacré-Cœur, all in the surrounds of an inner-city rose garden. At Balmain, Olivier Rousteing opted for big shoulders, Swarovski crystals, and washed denim, with bursts of neon and navy as the brand navigated the greyscale. While guests huddled and thronged in the smoky backdrop, a virtual front row featured some of fashion’s heavy hitters, from Anna Wintour and Jennifer Lopez to Cara Delevingne and Milla Jovovich.
Through slick hair and earth tones, Natacha Ramsay-Levi styled out a wardrobe of bohemian essentials for Chloé, as models emblazoned on big screens wandered the banks of the Seine before congregating at the Palais de Tokyo. At the Palais-Royal, Isabel Marant evoked the discothèque with clubwear and a stomping remix of Donna Summer.
Yohji Yamamoto, a mainstay of Paris Fashion Week, was one of the few designers who made the perilous trip from Japan, while from sporty Benelux beaches to the Lebanese mountains of Faqra, Dries Van Noten, Elie Saab, Rick Owens, Loewe, and Issey Miyake opted for home deliveries from faraway shores, mostly by way of digital presentations.
For Hermès, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski focused on block colours, scooped sides, and long trenches, blending the austere with the sensual in front of digitised Greco-Roman ruins and sculptures. With ‘Sunglasses at Night’, Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga offered a sustainable take on post-apocalyptic techno culture. And bringing the weekend to a close, boosted shoulders, fishnet vests, oversized bags, and an abundance of metal and leather made for hyper-luxe streetwear in Matthew Williams’ Givenchy debut.
On the final day Chanel yanked the curtain, sweeping across the Grand Palais with Parisian chic and the scope of a Hollywood production. Capital letters propped against an all-white set and teasers by Inez and Vinoodh made the association explicit, while creative director Virginie Viard stayed closer to home, referencing classic French films from Rules of the Game to Breathless. Tweed skirts, cardigans and jackets in bouclé with rounded shoulders, and button-up blouses spanned a palette of black and white, ecru, and pink, while the brand’s name in neon adorned cinched dresses and contrast tops like overlapping billboards.
At Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada made do with a virtual front row, featuring familiar faces like Gabrielle Union, Elle Fanning, and Chloë Sevigny. The theme was sporty, with track tops over plaid and ribbon skirts, though the headlines inevitably raced in the direction of Lila Moss on her runway debut.
For Maison Margiela, John Galliano sought connectivity, inspired by a trip to Buenos Aires and the intergenerational quality of tango culture. The second part of S.W.A.L.K. (Sealed With A Loving Kiss), following the artisanal collection which Galliano unveiled back in July, focused on the co-ed or ready-to-wear market.
Shot by Nick Knight over a few days in Tuscany, the film on display in Paris combined the elements of behind-the-scenes documentary and thriller, featuring fine tailoring, cutout jackets and leggings, ruffled shoulders, and silk neckerchiefs. In black and white with scarlet flourishes, models wore their faces and hair pulled back via tulle netting, and the iconic Tabi shoe made an appearance, custom-fit for the Tango covered in clear plastic.
That left Louis Vuitton as the last live showpiece of Paris Fashion Week, where Nicolas Ghesquière offered up an unconstrained gender-neutral collection. 360-degree cameras on poles popped up between the couple of hundred guests who lined the freshly renovated La Samaritaine department store, allowing invitees to browse from the comfort of home, while the global livestream featured circus acts and clips from Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders.
Loose pleated pants, graphic tees, and soft shoulders made for a relaxed runway, as Léa Seydoux, Venus Williams, Laura Harrier, and Alicia Vikander watched on from the front row, leaving ample room for the occasional extravagance. Metallic jackets and dresses rubbed up against embroidered gilets and oversized knits, with flowing trenches and a cropped and studded leather biker jacket. So the first full fashion cycle of the coronavirus era drew to a close, an inclusive gesture amid a hostile season.
Great share! This post is very useful.