Paris Fashion Week – The weekly shop we’re dying to do!
Fashion month is over and it’s now time to slip our aching feet into some chic sneakers after four weeks clad in stilettos. It’s also the perfect opportunity to sift through the glorious spectacle that was Paris Fashion Week, the final chapter in the fashion calendar and, not to show a little bias, possibly our favourite! This season Paris was awash with new trends, new designers, new beginnings and we couldn’t wait to feast our eyes on some of fashion’s finest.
The collections took a darker turn this season, with more masculine inspired ensembles that had us lusting after more overcoats, body armour and even socks and sandals. Paris had everything this season, but the most important thing to note is that despite taking trends in another direction, the glam factor was always on high alert. Beautifully unique leather and stud details at Balmain had us all clamouring to join Olivier Rousteing’s fabulous army with Rihanna leading the pack on the FROW.
While we were all gearing up for Nicolas Ghesquiere’s big debut for Louis Vuitton, his successor at Balenciaga, Alexander Wang, proved he had earned his place with a stellar collection for fall. With subtle nods to the original Balenciaga ethos, Wang showcased his own take on traditional knitwear and sportswear inspired wool blend creations with standout utility zips. The power shoulders offset by the nipped in waists and slim leg trousers was a clear meeting of two minds from the Cristobel archives and Wang’s own genius. Wang’s work at Balenciaga has really come into its own and we were particularly taken with the sequence of embellished knits for evening.
Another designer who has firmly settled into his new seat after an outstanding game of fashion musical chairs is Raf Simons, whose strong experience in menswear puts him in a league of his own. Since taking the reigns at Dior, Simons has been able to create showstopping pieces that unite the femininity of women’s clothing with its male counterpart. With the help of Raf, we are all able to find our fashion soulmate in the Dior AW14 collection. The bold colour palette of the double layer fit dresses was followed by beautiful asymmetry, corsetry inspired waist details and oversized coats in striking hues over slick tailoring sealed the aesthetic at the house of Dior.
Proving ‘if-it-ain’t-broke’ was Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent, who presented a successful rock inspired show. This time the looks were more sixties, echoing back to YSL designing at the same time. There was a refinement to the looks that you would not expect from Hedi, with the looks short and sweet and without fail finished with a little embellishment, leopard print or a staple leather jacket.
This seasons collections were also about welcoming in the relatively new. We were hugely impressed with Christine Phung’s offering, inspired by stargazing and life in the mountains with elegant knitwear and Narnia inspired snow scene coats amid hues of cobalt and burgundy to luxe up your winter looks. Tex Saverio walked the line between high fashion and haute couture with a technically outstanding collection. The Jakarta born designer featured a predominantly black palette with regal accents of gold laser cut into gowns, capes and maxi skirts, layered with knitwear over evening wear and showed off his skills by creating art deco gowns alongside modern pieces for an avant-garde feel.
Paris Fashion Week would not be what it is without a little theatricality, and who better to provide the entertainment than Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. Both showcased towards the end of fashion week, and anyone lucky enough to attend was transported to another world away from the tiresome running around in busy Paris. For McQueen attendees, it was an enchanted forest inspired by the mind of a child and doll like trapeze fit dresses, but in much more mature fabrics for a magical, ethereal feel. Burton is without a doubt an incredible woman with magnificent skills and the exquisite creation of these fairy tale inspired characters took you out of your seat and into the forest.
Meanwhile, the Chanel show took a totally different turn after its SS14 art lesson, turning the Grand Palais into a Chanel megamarket. Models including Cara Delevingne and Kendall Jenner strutted around the superstore in chic work out wear and sneakers, all loading Chanel branded items from spaghetti to chocolate in their chain handle baskets. It appeared to be a jab at the consumerism of fashion, but Karl encouraged us to embrace it in a supermarket sweep style challenge decked out in lurex and oversized coats. If we’re going to do it we’ll have to do it properly; we’ll take a basket in every size, Karl!
