Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Valentino collection Pier Paolo Picciolo and Maria Grazia Chiuri presented for next summer was cohesive, elegant and very Valentino.

All the Valentino aspects were there. The ruffles, the sheerness, the sexy dresses and the red. Though this time it was not the signature Valentino red we saw; it looked slightly more pink.

It was a very luxurious collection, with delicate clothes meant to be worn at fancy cocktail parties or chic gala events. There was not a pair of pants in sight. But the typical Valentino girl won’t even need one of those.

Valentino himself seemed to like it. He was one of the few people giving a standing ovation during the finale. Let’s hope he’s proud.

Yves Saint Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Don’t worry if in the past six months you haven’t had the time to visit the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition. Cause in the show on Monday evening Stefano Pilatti presented the best of YSL all over again.

He created many wow-moments by referring to earlier YSL collections. The trenchcoat, the jumpsuits, the gypsy dresses and the classic suits were all there, combined in this one collection.

The looks were classical and feminine and often showed some skin. Like the backless jumpsuit, the sheer turquoise printed dress and the chic black dress with cutouts and a low V-neck Freja Beha wore.

There was not one look we didn’t like. Yet it could have been a little more modern and cohesive.

Chloé Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The color palette Hannah MacGibbon chose for spring was again very neutral. Black, ivory and nudes and precisely one red look. Since the minimalistic trend was picked up all over the world it was a wise decision of MacGibbon to do minimalism again. Yet this time in a slightly fresher and more feminine way.

Sheer and pleated dresses and skirts that ended below the knee looked like your favorite dance wear. Especially in combination with tight (second skin) tops and ballerina shoes.

Some of the white designs maybe looked a bit too clinical, but we’ve got a feeling this collection is going to be a hit anyway.

Stella McCartney Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Stella McCartney show, held in the beautiful Opéra Garnier, didn’t pass unnoticed. With her father Paul McCartney turning up, as well as actrice Salma Hayek, Liv Tyler and singer Beth Ditto it caused quite a stir. Paparazzi and street photogs were fighting for the best shot in front of the theater and inside all camera’s were pointed at them.

Yet celebs maybe assure being mentioned in the press, the clothes of course have to tell the right story. And today they did. Stella, who dedicated the show to her family, friends and fantastic team, first sent out several fresh pastel looks. The silhouettes were masculine, yet the colors (rose pistachio, fresh bergamot, lavender, wilde blue and yellow sorbet) made it soft again.

Stella’s trousers were highwaisted and cropped, her jackets were straight cut and had cigarette sleeves. They were paired with buttoned up polos.

Halfway the collection Stella showed some oversized denim outfits with a clean cut. Right after that long silk gowns with very high slits followed each other. Though they were pretty revealing they stayed elegant.

The show ended with a splash of citrus. Gorgeous colored citrus fruit prints covered dresses, skirts, collars and jackets. They looked like the perfect alternative for the often used floral print. Plus fruit prints might become a hit next summer. Prada and Moschino cheap and chic both already showed fruit prints (bananas and lemons, respectively) in their collection.

Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Givenchy collection Riccardo Tisci presented on Sunday was a tough one. There were some daring outfits there, which made us think ‘dark’, ‘punk’ and ‘techno’.

Tisci used photographer Robert Mapplethorpe as his inspiration, which explains all the black and white we saw. There were a lot of sleeveless statement jackets, all matched with long sheer black pieces of fabric. The punk feeling came from the many zippers (across waistlines, sleeves and pants) Tisci used.

Lea T, the transsexual model. which over the past few months caused some commotion, being in the Givenchy ads and all, was there too. She walked the show alongside many new faces like Saskia de Brauw and Pauline Van der Cruysse.

Something we didn’t expect to see at Givenchy was the leopard print. After some years full of animal printed fashion the leopard print was finally on its return, yet now it seems Tisci brought it back to life. The Givenchy customer probably won’t mind. She’s bound to love every single look of this collection.

John Galliano Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Attending the John Galliano show this Sunday felt like going to a theater. Once again the designer used every opportunity to wow us. First of all a beautifully led golden backdrop, but also hats, wigs, eccentric make-up and large painting frames. Not to mention the models who were each playing their own individual character during the show. There’s was so much going on, we’d almost forget we were supposed to look at the designs.

And they deserved some attention too. John Galliano combined thick leather coats with delicate sheer nude skirts and dresses. In fact there were a lot of jackets, most of them worn with a clashing scarf tied around it.

Colorful designs had butterflies and flower prints on them. A model carrying a wooden umbrella seemed to stress the eastern twist of some of these looks.

The color palette changed from nudes to pink, blue, turquoise and red. The finale was a parade of floor-sweeping ivory gowns. Every single one looked perfectly handcrafted and had some very nice silver embroideries on it.

It was a spectacular show with a very pleasant vibe. Yet maybe the fashion part got a little overshadowed by the whole theater Galliano had set up. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it.

Céline Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

We spotted lots of minimalistic, leather camel-and black colored outfits in the audience at Céline. The ultimate proof that Phoebe Philo’s collection of last season was a big hit. And after what we’ve seen today, we’re quite certain this new spring collection will do just as well as the last one.

Philo again opted for a minimalistic approach; clean cuts, wide sleeves and long tuxedo pants. All with a masculine touch. In between a lot of white looks were some strong-colored outfits. First denim-like blue linen and then a slightly brighter blue combined with Burgundy leather.

New were the thank tops with zip-details, the extremely low V-necks and a few graphic colored prints. Overall: a perfect summery variant to the collection we saw half a year ago.

Jean Paul Gaultier Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The summer collection of Jean Paul Gaultier wasn’t the best we’ve seen so far, yet it was clear JPG himself had a great time working on it. Like at his last menswear fashion show he designed several 3D items which the audience could watch through their 3D glasses.

And if you think 3D-fashion is strange; the rest of the collection was just as crazy. Singer of the band Gossip, the curvaceous Beth Ditto, opened the show. But she wasn’t the only ‘fuller model’. JPG hired several other plus-size models for his show. Although you can hardly call Crystal Renn that nowadays.

The girls all had wigs on, the kind that reminded us of David Bowie’s hair back in the late sixties. Their hairdos in a way matched the tough leather jackets, lace up boots, sheer lace, denim suits, printed tights and leather shorts.

Red patent leather formed quite a contrast with the softer leaf and floral prints, but so did the red & white and blue & white stripes JPG never misses in his collections.

Another trademark you’ll always see in his shows: his famous cone bra corsets, which were just as pointy as the shoulders on some of the jackets.

Beth Ditto’s closing performance made the show unforgettably entertaining, yet we were not fully convinced by JPG’s new summer wardrobe.

Viktor & Rolf Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Today Dutch designer-duo Viktor & Rolf presented a summer collection inspired by the plain white shirt and the striped banker shirt. Two very masculine and minimalistic items, which the designers managed to transform into a very feminine collection.

Their ‘shirt symphony’ started with several blue and white looks. They all had multiple collars and cuffs on them, each one a little bigger than the one before.

Shirt tails for a change were not hidden, but popped up from under the legs of mini shorts at the front and the back. They were extremely long, reaching to the models ankles.

The color palette changed from blue to black, orange and turquoise. Only a few stripes and a zebra print were added, letting the fantastic clothes speak for themselves.

In a few black and white as well as in some turquoise and black designs Viktor & Rolf brought stretch (= tight-fitting) jersey and voluminous shiny silk together in a way only they can do that.

For the finale they even created more volume and took the masculine/feminine theme of their show to its extreme. White bridal gowns came down the runway perfectly matching the soundtrack of the show (Billy Idol – White Wedding). Their  lace embroideries, multiple layers, cuffs and collars were a perfect ending of, yet another, great Viktor & Rolf show.

Roberto Cavalli Catwalk Fashion Show Milan SS2011

With his spring/summer collection for 2010 Roberto Cavalli celebrated 40 years in fashion. The man that brought us sexy, fluid dresses in all kinds of animal-prints,bohemian  rockstar-clothes in python or crocodile and the real Italian style did not opt for a retrospective show. He invited a lot of his favorite models though and some were even walking in the show, like Laetitia Casta and Natalia Vodianova.

The others, Nadege and Heid Klum, watched the show front row together with Taylor Swift, Leona Lewis and Elisabetta Canalis.  They saw a very condensed collection that consisted of four things Cavalli is known for: long fringes, long dresses, catsuits and python(prints). Hip-hugging bellbottoms and long webby skirts were worn with tops that left hips, back and bellies exposed. Underneath the models wore bikini-tops. They looked like tribal hippies with their flat ironed hair.

The collection had nothing to do with color or minimalism, as we’ve seen elsewhere in Milan this week. This was Roberto’s own trip and he used his signature elements well.

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