Paris Fashion Week spans minimalism and Renaissance blooms
PARIS (AP) – Dull Paris weather didn’t dampen the power of the French capital’s ready-to-wear shows, which continued on Saturday, vibrantly eschewing the restrained colors of minimalism for renaissance exuberance.
Here are some of the highlights of the Paris Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2023-2024 collections:
elie saab says it with flowers
Singers Ciara and Avril Lavigne negotiate crowds and slippery stone stairs on their way to the Palais de Tokyo, the venue for Elie Saab’s show. Inside, the Lebanese designer rendered an ode to Renaissance bouquets, with flowers blooming from every nook, cranny, seam, and hem.
Blooming hydrangea embroidery atop 1970s-style pants flaunts bold prints in ruby and dazzling citrine.
The evening was fueled by the collection with Saab’s bread-and-butter va-va-voom silhouettes. Sheer mermaid gowns and rumpled three-dimensional floral dresses shimmered with paillettes and tulle.
The best forms were figurative, such as the Asiatic pleated cummerbund that spread dramatically like an opening petal.
Hermes’ fashion as camouflage
Hermes creative director Nadge Wanhi-Cybulski created a simple, yet powerful proposition for fall—creating each look in the same shade of color so it would melt into itself like camouflage.
“Just as a tree has a second skin beneath its surface, a bark like a fabric, there is a constant dialogue between details, between colors, between materials,” said the fashion house poetically.
The one-color concept created a minimalist feel even when looks featured layering and details, such as long duffel-style coats in double-sided cashmere, zip-up coats in shiny sheepskin, embroidery, belts , Buckles and Straps.
The first look, a loose textured double skirt dress, came in cognac red colour. It wore a hat reminiscent of equestrian styles – surprising given the house’s close association with show jumping.
The monochromatic musings continued amidst a tension of texture – such as a bright red silk pleated skirt contrasted chicly with tall suede boots.
Canine Tale of Koperni
How to match the Bella Hadid spray-on dress that went instantly viral last season and raised Coperny’s profile?
Designers Sebastian Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant turned to the canine world for help — that is, the curious world of robo-dogs. Five Boston Dynamics cyborg dogs, each called Spot, were the stars of the show, posing in various yoga positions for Instagram-friendly snaps fashion insiders.
The Tech and Canine theme continued in the designs, which were mainly made from recycled materials and inspired by versions of “The Wolf and the Lamb”, a famous French fable.
The story was retold in the form of a painting on a leather jacket. The scabbards were cut as if by a hunter. The envelope shawls were a take on “Little Red Riding Hood”. The glittery feathered mini dresses looked like wolves raided a chicken pen.
A shaggy floor-length coat looked like it had been skinned from a wolf and given the Cruella de Vil treatment.
Japan’s fashion forward heir
Junya Watanabe, a protégé of Comme des Garcons designer Rei Kawakubo, was in fine fashion forward form on Saturday with her oft-referenced theme of “monozukuri.” It means “the making of things” in Japanese and now refers to innovation in fashion production and the use of technology to create materials.
For fall, the talented Japanese designer turned utilitarian for a dark and aggressive performance, using toggles, armor-like padded coats, ninja mouth coverings and black head gear that originated under the guise of combat sports such as fencing. Was.
Braided hair was draped over the head and face as protection for dramatic effect on the dimly lit runway.
Flashes of swirling colours, including neon blue, combine well with the themes of cycling and warfare, while structured black leather coats with eyelets, straps, buckles and zippers mix biker gear with traditional Asian attire.
