Here’s what’s happening at Paris Fashion Week
By Fiona Sinclair Scott, Leah Dolan, CNN
Paris (CNN) — Paris Fashion Week, the biggest arena for the industry’s battle of ideas, is in full swing. Rihanna’s here, maniacal crowds are lining up outside shows to screech and wave at their favorite stars and days of runway events big and small lie ahead.
If Monday’s opening day was defined by a series of thinky shows by emerging ingenues including the creative duo behind Matières Fécales, Swedish one to watch Ellen Hodakova Larsson, and LVMH prize-winner Julie Kegels, Tuesday was when big houses like Dior and Saint Laurent ramped things up with their high octane productions and masterful collections. Cult brand Maison Margiela, the label behind the freaky looking tabi shoe, also staged its latest renegade runway show. Against a backdrop of wilting flowers that left a subtle funk in the air, designer Glenn Martens once again put forth ideas that challenged conventions of beautiful clothing. Models walked in toeless, knee-high boots in sculpted blazers and shirts that left the chest open and gaping, and floral prints clashed with the set behind them.
There’s a lot going on in the French capital this week. Follow our coverage as we zoom in and out on the little delights and big moments that grabbed our attention.
This story is ongoing and will be updated.
A gilded goodbye at Saint Laurent?
The Saint Laurent show, staged under the dramatic glow of the Eiffel Tower, has long been a buzzy tentpole of Paris Fashion Week. But on Tuesday the energy of the event revved up further amid speculation that the show would be creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s last after ten years at the house. The almost all-gold collection certainly suggested a milestone moment. Alchemic looks rendered in many shades and textures of gold looked back at archetypes from Yves Saint Laurent’s heyday — Safari-style jackets, trenches and wrap skirts — while more modern silhouettes such as Vaccarello’s bouncy blouson jackets reminded those watching of his impact at the house. The runway event ended with a performance by Charlotte Gainsbourg and a standing ovation for Vaccarello who wrote in the show notes, “A light shines all the more brightly because we know it cannot be held. What passes sometimes leaves more light than what remain.”
Jonathan Anderson’s take on romance at Dior
Imagine a rich young thing throwing her fanciful clothes over the door of a bedroom armoire before falling into bed, makeup on, at the end of a day. These were the pieces that Dior’s Jonathan Anderson sent down the runway in the Jardin des Tuileries on Tuesday afternoon. Once again guests were seated around a circular pond under scorching heat, the misty water and breezy flounce of the clothes offering little physical respite from the realities of our surroundings, but managing for a moment to export us away mentally. Skirts, tops and what looked like earrings made of layers of circle-cut chiffon, and light as air sheer jacketing suggested Anderson was looking to define his version of romance, a mood the French house has long-conjured during its history. While his love story felt young and full of hope, it wasn’t naive — any prissyness was broken up with sharper elements like a series of python-effect metallic trousers and modern styling that left shirts loose and untucked and allowed checks and patterns to clash.
Power to the people at Matières Fécales
In a challenging economy brands aren’t much for taking big risks or causing upset, so Matières Fécales bold, statement-making show that saw models stomp down the runway with mannequins representing the wealthy elite slumped over their backs had no trouble gaining traction online, thanks also to the hype-inducing appearance of Rihanna who sat front row. Steven Raj Bhaskaran, who is partnered in life and work with Hannah Rose Dalton, wrote in show notes that the collection was focussing on empowering “those most vulnerable in the Ninety Nine Per Cent.”
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