Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

Well, that was quite a show at Louis Vuitton this morning. Marc Jacobs was in the mood for some strong mistresses. The inspiration seem to come from the movie Night Porter. But according to Marc Jacobs explanation the inspiration came form the obsession people have for Loui Vuitton-bags etc. “The definition is an unreasonable obsession with objects or things. Which is sometimes Vuitton bags” he told WWD.

So it was extravagance to the max, with an 18-karat gold handbag cuffed to a girl’s wrist. There was a retro, hotel-inspired elevator bank that rose from the floor below and were the models started out. Almost everyone carried bags, not all in gold, but in python, harlequin-cut shearling, embroidered monogram rubber.
Python came lacquered; fake fur, waxed; guipure lace, made to look like plastic. There was lots of see through, and also  rubberized, plasticized and waxed fabrics with police-hats, silk-stockings, jodhpurs. But also more wearable clothes like  tweed coats and jackets taken from men’s classics which were reshaped into hourglasses and sleek sweaters.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2011

The Louis Vuitton-collection was a pitch dark one, with lots of black, dark-blue, brown and highlighted by off-white and the brightest of red. The silhouette was rather straight and sometimes the waist was accentuated with a belt or ribbon tied around it. It seemed designer Paul Helbers played with the volumes of a down jacket, textures of velvet, leather and fur, the mix of formal with informal. The coat played a big part in this collection, from kimono-inspired to parka. Different fabrics used in one item gave a contemporary look, the shiny and sharp body-warmers had the look of body armor. Luckily the red and white flowing fabrics like silk added some air into the rather strict and sober collection.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

For Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs presented a collection with a disco-chic vibe. Like in his Marc Jacobs show we saw lots of vibrant colors with a lot of extra’s added to the mix. There were fringes, glitters, animal and floral prints.

He gave the collection a bit of an oriental feeling by adding shiny Eastern-inspired designs. Besides animal prints he also had images of panda’s and giraffes on the clothes. Plus two large tiger were placed on stage.

It was quite a change compared to the neat and sober fifties-inspired looks from last season, but it was again something new. And we’re quite sure some new trends will be picked up from this collection and become a major hit next summer.

Trend Report FW2010: Fabulous Fifties

Women with curves can be happy ‘cause coming fall is about the feminine silhouette. Breats, hips and butts don’t have to be hidden, but are celebrated! We see circle skirts, wasp-waists and accentuated breats.

Louis Vuitton and Prada definitely were the trend setters for this fifties vibe. Marc Jacobs showed a whole collection full of women-friendly designs. He even let some of the bigger models walk in his fashion show to point out that some extra curves can look just fine.

Miuccia Prada did the same thing. She mainly accentuated the breasts with her dresses. And she let models without a size zero, like our Dutchies Lara Stone and Doutzen Kroes, walk the show.

Apart from Vuitton and Prada designers like Paul Smith, Dries van Noten and Fendi showed some fifty-inspired outfits as well. Dolce & Gabbana did so too, yet they showed pencil skirts instead circle ones.

So this fall, you don’t have to worry about your fuller hips and big boobs. Celebrate them by putting on circle skirts, small waist belts and tight tops.

Ps. Wear a headband or a Brigit Bardot-esque ponytail to complete the look!

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

The Louis Vuitton-collection hit all the commercial notes. Washed denim bags, printed scarves and shirts with chinese tattoo prints and clothes with a sense of travel and adventure. The prints were designed by tattoo-artist Scott Campbell and they even appeared on the models skin the LV-monogram included.

The clothes should make every man eager, since he lost his appetite in a great suit.  Constructions of jackets were functional, fabrics were kept lightweight – inspired by parachutes – and some jackets came in pebbled leather or colored python. There even was a camouflage-like leopard-print.

It all had a sporty, outdoor vibe, not only because of the fabrics (nylon, silk), but also because of the construction and looks: bermuda’s, shorts, quilted short jackets. Shirts looked inspired by the middle-east, especially those thin, semi-transparent shirts with tattoo-prints and T-shirts. Colors were kept modest, lots of (dark)blue, black, beige, white and gray.

The best of Paris Fashion Week FW2010

The Paris fashion week was the last fashion week of the season, but it was worth the wait. The brands in our top 4 (Celine, Dries van Noten, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton) all showed beautiful, wearable clothes in which women can feel confident and sexy.

Celine
The Celine fahion show was one to remember while it was a great follow-up for the amazing collection Phoebe Pilo showed for spring. Cause just like Pilo’s first collection for Celine this one was simplistic, yet never boring. Or as she described it herself: ‘Strong, Powerful, Reduced.’ The best fabrics were used and the clothes were made with Pilo’s signature clean and sophisticated cut. Shades of navy, black and white alternated each other. Leather details, like collars and pocket, and transparent fabrics gave the looks a bit of an edge. There’s no doubt this elegant and sexy collection will get it’s approval from Celine’s loyal customers. It had everything the women had been waiting for ever since Helmut Lang left the runway.

Dries van Noten
As one of the first designers to present his collection Dries van Noten managed to design exactly the kind of clothes women feel confident in. His designs were wearable, comfortable, feminine and refreshing. And the great thing about it; the models didn’t look as if they’d spent hours in front of the mirror. It seemed like they had just mixed and matched some of their own basics with some designer items. Therefore they looked streetwise and sophisticated at the same time. Two elements that really struck us were the colorful floral prints and the silver embroideries on the sleeves. Dries van Noten did a great job making fashion seem effortless, for once.

Lanvin
Dries van Noten wasn’t the only designer who proved he knew what women want. Alber Elbaz showed some great style as well. On the runway he built a stairway to heaven from which the models started their walk. They wore the cutest cocktail dresses and the most elegant evening gowns. Those dresses looked easy to wear, but were never simple. While most designs were very flattering, classy and still modern many women will feel comfortable wearing them. The collection felt urban, yet also had a light African tribal influence originating from Elbaz’ background (he was born in Morocco ). The tribal details were visible in the accessories, feathers and furry details. And we’re sure that between all those different items there was a little something for every woman.

Louis Vuitton
On the final day of the Paris fashion week Marc Jacobs once more amazed the world of fashion by presenting a 50’s/60’s inspired collection. He must have had the same thought as Miuccia Prada, only he took it a little further. His (full-figured) models (Laetitia Casta, Bar Refaeli, Catherine McNeil, Karolina Kurkova, Elle Macpherson) looked as feminine as ever with their wasp-waists, long circle skirts and full busts. Jacobs also re-introduced the famous Speedy bag. The show was inspired by the movie ‘And god created woman’ which made Brigit Bardot famous thus the models wore their hair in BB-inspired bouncy ponytails. The fashion spectacle was held around a fountain in the middle of a tented courtyard. It made up for a wonderful Parisian atmosphere, the perfect ending of a great fashion season.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2010

The circle is round. What started with the 50’s/60’s inspired show at Prada two weeks ago ended yesterday with a Louis Vuitton-collection in a production that breathed the Fifties-sixties in every outfit. The collection was inspired by And God created women, the movie that made Brigitte Bardot a big star, and the models looked sensual, feminine and curvy.

Marc Jacobs explained his take on the Fifties as an excuse to to pause and appreciate what a house like Vuitton is capable of creating. And that are bags actually, so there was a beautiful bag for every oufit Jacobs sent out – like fantastic redos of the Vuitton Speedy.

The silhouette was curvy with focus at the waist, full skirted dresses or full skirts mixed with tailored jackets- that’s probably why Jacobs hired Laetitia Casta, Bar Refaeli, Catherine McNeil, Karolina Kurkova, and finally Elle Macpherson, all women who were banned from the fashion-shows for a long time because of their beautiful, curvy body.  Jacobs made them look  fresh, feminine and ingenue, with hair scraped back into high, bouncy ponytails; clean makeup; and square-toed, block-heeled pumps trimmed with flat bows.

Louis Vuitton Catwalk Fashion Show Paris FW2010

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Louis Vuitton

Dutch designer Paul Helbers presented a very wearable Louis Vuitton menswear collection. His decent-looking models wore items you could easily imagine on men passing by on the street.

The clothes came in masculine shades like dark gray, black and brown. Paul Helbers designed knitted cardigans and double-breasted, long, woolly coats. As seen in other f/w menswear collections the LV-jackets – as well as his bags – often had leather details. The leather used for some coats almost looked fake, while it had no creases, tears or what-so-ever.

A lot of big bags were shows. Christian Schoeler had painted some Vienna-inspired ones in white with fading colors, representing winter landscapes. Most models wore leather gloves and walked on boot-clogs in which they’ d tucked their legs.

At the end of the show both Paul Helbers and Marc Jacobs appeared on the runway, while Marc Jacobs applauded for his Dutch colleague.

Trends ss2010: step by step

For some models walking the runway was a tough job in the past fashion weeks. Of course the shoes were to blame. Not only were they high as ever, they also had the craziest shapes. They seemd somewhat inspired by clogs and that made them look rather clumsy. The most outstanding examples of this ‘clog-shoe’ were those of Alexander McQueen. He showed some great fashion forward ones, which were no less than twelve inches high. With reptile prints they looked futuristic and animalistic at the same time. Passing by to the beat of Lady Gaga’s new song they indeed looked rather Gaga to us. Yet they might become a huge hit. At least McQueen wasn’t the only designer with clog-shoes in his show. Celine, Dior, DSquared, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta and Ferré showed some clog-variations as well. And not to forget Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Their Swedish clog-like shoes will probably become the most copied of all next spring. (Tess van Daelen)

« Previous Page — Next Page »