Stella McCartney Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Stella McCartney seemed in a happy mood regarding her ss2013 collection in vibrant whites, oranges and shots of green – and some black.  The colors were incorporated into an inventive lineup. In a season where sheer fabrics and layers are seen everywhere, McCartney added  layering pants — see-through pajamas under cropped trousers or long, crisp eyelets over snappy shorts. She also used structured organza for an warm-up jacket and sweatshirt. And McCartney combined sweatshirts over a dress in a key motif, superlean ribbed knits featuring big, bright ellipses on sheer plissé. On the tailored side, low-belted jackets and tuxedo-inspired day dresses looked simple and smart.

A  graphic component ran throughout, achieved with geometric layering and the recurring elliptical motif.

Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Riccardo Tisci presented a wonderful collection yesterday where he mixed serenity and edge into something special. His references were the Sixties and the archives of the Givenchy-house for the shapes. He also took inspiration from nuns for the purity and lightness.

And it all came together: ecclesiastical through the colors  (baby blue, white and black),  the feeling of restraint (signalled by rivets holding waists and shoulders in place and worn around necks as chokers), and through the shapes – which played on covering up.

Tisci’s catholic backround turned up in the priest collars on his sixties shifts, in the voluminous bishop sleeves on a striking black jacke,  in the split skirts worn with crisp, dry blazers and pants, like church vestments.

Céline Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Phoebe Philo returned to a traditional show for spring. Philo’s clearest message was a twist of fabric, a wide bandeau of sorts, across the bodice of T-shirts and other tops. Sometimes tone-on-tone, sometimes with an additional twist of black netting against white.  There was rawness  in unsewn hems, whether fully frayed or with a few long threads flying about.
While Philo still loves a slouchy, mannish silhouette, she also included looks with leaner, more sensual lines. Another nod to the vibe: dresses with deep V-necklines inset with graphic netting.
The accessories got everybody’s attention: the silly flat slippers lined in vibrant fur  were a runway-only joke. Simply beautiful was her new handbag, a soft pastel clutch rolled over on top like a paper bag.

Kenzo Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

An invitation for the Kenzo-show was one of the hottest tickets of Paris Fashion Week. Funny how a brand can turn into something cool in just a wink. All kudos go to minds now operating behind Kenzo,  Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. They have brought a whole new spirit. The duo has optimism and makes fashion fun for everyone.

The setting of the show was a psychedelic projection of color and print,  in front of which the models walked: in khaki safari suits and trench coats and dresses; in  bustier tops and trousers with exotic prints; in off-the-shoulder dresses with a thick utility belt around the waist; in mint biker jackets; in parka jackets; and in those tiger jumpers. This time the tiger came disguised amongst a graphic crowd of lines. There were camouflage leopard prints in yellow and blue, and it came in orange and green later.

Leon and Lim  managed to wipe the slate clean and turn this floundering brand around to be a jungle beast.

Haider Ackermann Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

There are a few reasons to be at a show of Haider Ackermann: to experience his color sense, to see his layered silhouette and to feel the exciting vibe at his beautiful, almost poetic shows.  Again, the belted and peplumed layers returned again and a spoken-word rendition of the Billie Holiday song “The Man I Love” played its pulse and caused goose-pimples.

The colors were nowhere to be seen. Instead of the usual rich hues, Ackermann employed graphic, geometric prints and a stricter palette— black, white, and navy. The first surprise were the polka dots, which decorated a sheer, slipdress worn with  pants in a smaller dot pattern.  But he also mixed  a vertically striped fitted jacket with a draped blouse and full trousers in two different mosaic-tile motifs.
Collage is a big trend this season, but where other designers patchworked individual pieces, Ackermann used whole outfits as his canvas.

Christian Dior Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Raf Simons surprised the audience with a feminine and refined collection. Almost like a literal clean slate, the show opened with a series of crisp black suits and neck-scarves, before descending into jacket dresses and mini ballgowns.  Styles which Raf Simons described as both “feminine” and “complex” in equal measure. The finale consisted of couture-worthy silhouettes with voluminous printed skirts and skintight black tops. It was beautiful, strange and unusual – so precise but so varied.

Rick Owens Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Rick Owens was in an angelic mood looking at the collection and the clouds that came tumbling down from the catwalk entrance.
The models came in dresses of puffed-out proportions to match those of the clouds behind them – strapless and semi-transparent inflated dresses in soft grey or apricot shades. There were capes that followed in the same vein and further dresses that splayed out from off the shoulder. It was more feminine and light and pretty than we have seen from Rick Owens before.

Balenciaga Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Skin was the big news at Balenciaga. Designer Nicolas Ghesquière told the press before the show that its was “the most sensual collection I’ve ever done”. It was all about  stiff ruffles, movement, a-symmetric cut and technical fabrics, dense embroideries that looked like tweeds,  lace fused to molded synthetics, and T-shirt knits dipped in glue for stiffness.
Ghesquière set the tone with the first model’s midriff-baring molded bra and high-waisted pants. And from there came out swinging, slitting long black skirts almost to the hipbone and edging them with deep ruffles.  Asymmetric skirts pushed the leg-theme further, and even the pantsuits were paired with  bra tops.

Ann Demeulemeester Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Please enjoy the pictures for now. Our review will follow shortly.

Gareth Pugh Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2013

Gareth Pugh held strictly to his linear graphic style for his ss2013 collection, but this time it seemed softer, even more romantic than before. He even threw in scarlet red to change his palet of black, white and gray. Pugh was inspired by cockfighting, which explained the bloodred, the long hems and extended train-like sleeves. Plus the bloodred make-up. He also put in some flamenco-vibe and Japanese details.

« Previous Page — Next Page »