Hermès Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

It was the last collection Jean Paul Gaultier designed for Hermès and it was a good one. The show started by horses galloping through the show area bringing up Hermes’ heritage.

Again lots of (broad brimmed) hats and lots of leather. Yet this time in a softer color palette of camel, sand, beige and cognac, which immediately turned the masculine suits in more feminine clothing.

The pants were loose and long, the jackets had accentuated shoulders. Pieces of leather tied around the waist resembled corsets, but still looked tough.

Every look was timeless and perfectly lived up to the house’s name.

40 Years of Kenzo Catwalk Fashion Show Paris

On Tuesday night Antonio Marras not only presented a new summer collection for Kenzo, but also celebrated the brand’s 40^th anniversary. Though he’s only been designer at Kenzo for six years he had the honor to design a special collection of pieces from the label’s archive.

The pieces had influences from Japan (Kenzo’s origins) as well as Sardinia (Marras’ origins) in them, which combined surprisingly well. There were kimono’s and floor sweeping dresses, floral prints and sequins

While the spring/summer collection had mostly light colors and pastels in it, the finale was super bright. Kenzo stretched out the models’ figures by putting them on high shoes and giving hem all sorts of head pieces. The outfits were a combination of layers of Kenzo’s signature color prints.

While the circular stage at Cirque d’Hiver turned around everyone in the audience could get a good look at the forty models. It created the most beautiful image. On to the next forty years!

Cacharel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Sweet bubblegum colors and papery fabrics gave the Cacharel-collection a young and sporty energy. The prints were innovative: blurred florals and blotches in neon-shades gave it all an otherworldly edge.

Haider Ackermann Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Everytime you see a collection of Haider Ackerman you are wondering how it is possible he can make leather look so sensual, elegant and modern. The black motorcycle jacket seemed his startingpoint and like a wizard he turned it into halters and vests with curls and bows and he let clash with large kimono jackets worn off the shoulder. He mixed it with black suede trousers – low and tight- or long pleated evening skirts.

Long narrow skirts and black jersey dresses and tops were held in place by just a few cords. Shoulders were small and razor-shape. And his signature cropped jackets were finished off in back with heart-shaped bows.

The color-palette was strong with royal reds and blues and a shot of yellow. The colors were shown in gowns bearing dramatic cutouts at the hip and spaghettistraps, or were an accent on lapels and linings, flashing out from a black jackets rolled sleeves. The overall effect was dramatic and modern. No wonder the audience cheered ecstatic.

Junya Watanabe Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

With coffee and croissants being served the Junya Watanabe fashion show was a good start of a busy fashion day in Paris. His new collection was pleasant to watch as well, although it was much of the same thing.

Black/Navy and white stripes were used throughout the whole collection. The stripes were combined with prints of lifebuoys, anchors and sailing boats. Plus the girls wore straw hats. But to conclude that Watanabe was inspired by a nautical theme, would be wrong. He stresses there were NO nautical references in the show. Instead he claimed Tokyo Dolls were his inspiration. The models in fact promoted the style of Harajuku teenagers. Alright Watanabe, if you say so.

The clothes looked easy-going (some outfits appeared even more comfortable than pajama’s) and playful. Loose-fitting striped pants and dresses as well as many trench coat variations.

Who walked in today’s show we’ll never know, cause Watanabe covered all the faces of the girls with a white fabric and gave them bright colored wigs. Next time robots instead of models mister Watanabe?

Daily favorites in Paris

Friday was Lanvin-day. Besides Balenciaga, Celine and the Japanes designers the fashionworld is eager to receive the message Alber Elbaz has to tell. His connection with women is unbelievable, he can sense them and translate their needs into modern, urban chic. As he did yesterday. But the collection is not complete with the beautiful and strong jewelry from designer Elie Top. For summer he got his inspiration from bees, flies and butterflies. I’ll have to start saving money now, I guess.

Also: the setup of the Lanvin shows is giving me goose-pimples all the time. A dark, long runway with just one accent (last season a stairway to heaven, yesterday a line of poles) and models that seem to appear from the dark. Their long walk builds up the tension.

When I saw the pictures of Yamamoto I was struck by the faded colors in one outfit. The show seemed very Yohji with big dresses, draped and folded. But I loved the way he mixed the colors with his signature black.

And then Dior. It was a very commercial and upbeat show, and that’s what it should be if they want to sell. It seems Galliano is only allowed to push the boundaries at haute couture, and that’s a pity. Anyway, windbreakers and parkas never looked so sexy. And as a real Dutch girl I really liked that.

Lanvin Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Alber Elbaz is one of the few designers who thinks about what women want before he starts designing. He thinks about their lives, their work, their obligations, their worries. And he tries to make the best possible clothes for them. Next spring he offers them many choices from long flowing skirts to flat and smooth day-dresses to pantsuits inspired by athletic wear (his pantsuit is an elongated jacket over skirts and stretch leggings) . There was even a nylon raincoat.

Elbaz doesn’t like perfection, he loves wrinkles. And his collection seemed a hymn to skin: wrinkled in pleating, stretched in all those sheaths. It was a spectacular foundation on which he could use heavy colors. From elegantly taupe to acid yellow, hot pink, and aqua. The designer doesn’t like pantsuits either, so the focus was at his favorite uniformstyle for women: dresses. They came in one-shoulder styles, in a navy stretch fabric, with two dark zippers at the front and a belt. One navy dress had sleeves to just above the elbow and a deep V-front.  Simple flat sandals were the key-shoe.

The shoes in fact were the reason the show started one hour too late. When Elbaz noticed during the rehearsal that the models couldn’t walk on the high heels he planned for the show, the designer decided to skip the shoes and change them for other. That’s what I call respecting women.

Christian Dior Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Dior spring summer 2011 collection was inspired by sailors, the fourties and pin-up girl Bettie Page. The result was colorful, feminine, light and a lovely mix of sailor and elegance.John  Galliano made up the story of an imaginary Polynesian naval base where the sailors could kill their time by looking at Bettie-Page look-a-likes.

The British designer mixed the sexy 40’s pin-up clothes with Polynesian colors and flowers plus sailorstyle. A windbreaker never looked so sexy and elegant.  There were sailorpants in white and khaki, navy shirts and casual jackets and parkas. The more feminine touch came from short dresses in tropical colors and prints plus Hawaian necklaces with flowers .

Issey Miyake Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Issey Miyake presented a collection with special effects in the clothes: black and white checks that bled at the end, digital prints of raffia that dissolevd into a blur.

Rick Owens Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Rick Owens presented a beautiful, almost intergalactical royal collection. The models looked as if they were goddesses from another world. No gothic darkness, but majestic beauties crowned with a hair comb in almost classic silhouettes in white, gray, brown and green.

Skirts were extreme, in volume or length, pearly toned jackets or cut away tops armored the upperbody. The architecture of cut, shape and form gave clarity to clothes, even when there were layers.

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