The Best Shows in Paris Fashion Week
This week was a whirlwind of fashion news. Paris had shows that were visually captivating. From Chanel, to Balenciaga, the press didn’t need to vamp up any content. The clothing spoke for itself and made our jaws drop. I mean what else is new?
Chanel
COURTESY OF ALESSANDRO LUCIONI/GORUNWAY.COM
Of course the new collection included the iconic Coco Chanel tweed. In 1924, Coco Chanel’s first tweed jacket was from the Duke of Westminster. Fast forward to now, there are numerous womenswear collections containing the tweed material. On March 8, the Fall Ready-to-Wear show referenced the Scottish countryside in the designs because that is where Coco Chanel used to pick her flowers to inspire her next collection’s color palette. The bright tweeds on the runway emphasized the history behind the process of Chanel’s collections.
Balenciaga
COURTESY OF BALENCIAGA
Demna wanted to make a statement on climate change through his set on March 6. He almost canceled the show as the events happening in Ukraine hit too close to home. Demna was a refugee himself at the age of 10 when he fled from war in Abkhazia to Georgia. However, he proceeded to have the show go on because he did not want the evils of the world to take down hard work. The “360° Show” was a circular arena in Le Bourget Airport. The airport was transformed into a post-apocalyptic snowstorm with a clear wall separating the models from the audience adding an eerie vibe while watching models treach through the wind. Models wore mostly black ensembles with pops of color here and there with oversized hoodies, leather jackets, fur coats, heels, and dresses with trains.
Loewe
COURTESY OF FILIPPO FIOR/GORUNWAY.COM
Jonathan Anderson, the founder and designer of Loewe, wanted this collection to represent irrational reality through fashion. On March 4, models walked down the runway in elaborate ensembles. The one shown above has a lip-shaped bustier attached to a hot pink dress and is paired with silver big-bowed heels. Other looks had playful materials like sheer mesh, 3-D shiny balloons that covered balloon-printed dresses, car shapes outlined on the hem, and latex as well.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin
COURTESY OF ISIDORE MONTAG/GORUNWAY.COM
March 3, de Saint Sernin presented his show down the catwalk with his signature sexy, gender-blurring cross-laced fly jeans, crystal mesh bras, and halters. Extending his collection for this season, there are bodycon dresses, black leather mini skirts, and a crossover jersey crop-top for boys. The collection was mainly neutral colors but the elegance and oversized fits make the pieces useful for everyday attire.
Valentino
COURTESY OF VALENTINO
The all-pink collection (with some all-black looks) made room for gasps for air and focused on the silhouette of each design. March 6 was a day where Valentino really put on a show. Pierpaolo Piccioli wanted to associate the brand with girly, punk aesthetics. So they did so by incorporating the stereotypical girly color, pink, into their repertoire. Every look is better than the next. From bubble dresses to fur coats, to modern-looking crinolines, embellishments such as sequins and flowers, cutouts, sheer fabric, Valentino did it all.
