This year Paris Fashion Week 2023 offered something for everyone from the mom on the go, to the artisanal gear, to boots that are made for winter walking.
Don’t forget the platforms, corsets, and tartans, exquisitely minimal dark chocolate gear, and the ever-glamorous haute couture atelier.
Miu Miu
Who wears the trousers? Not the Miu Miu woman next season. She’s so busy she forgot to put her skirt on – or maybe she left it off on purpose to show off her disco pants.
The perfectly imperfect vibe of messy hair, tights pulled up over tops, coats over gym leggings, looks with elements missing and back-to-front bags with door keys dangling, suggested a frantic life most people can relate to.
Miu Miu has reestablished itself as a bellwether for hot trends so you might want to think about those sequin knickers and stock up on sheer tights.
Loewe
Jonathan Anderson built on the reductionist act he presented in January’s menswear to streamline this season’s women’s collection, putting the focus on individual garments. Dresses came as prints on simple silk shifts.
The trompe-l’oeil tricks continued, a bag chain held up a drape on a silk dress, and Puzzle totes were supersized. To underscore the synergy between Loewe and art an installation of 21 cubes of colorful confetti by artist Lara Favaretto formed the set.
Vivienne Westwood
After Vivienne Westwood’s death in December and a moving memorial at the start of LFW, the Paris show was always going to be an emotional affair.
Titled Tintwistle after the town she grew up in, the AW23 collection was a tribute to her and riffed on many of her greatest hits – pirate boots, towering platforms, corsets, and tartan. Past muses and family took to the runway including models Sara Stockbridge and Westwood’s granddaughter Cora Corré who wore the bridal finale look.
Westwood’s widower Andrea Kronthaler was visibly emotional as he took his bow alongside Corré.
The Row
First let’s talk about the show’s catering, an insight into the exquisitely minimal world of the Olsens. They gave us pears with the tip of the stalk dipped in red sealing wax and hunks of dark chocolate served on raw-edge white linen napkins.
Chic entertaining tricks to steal. Back to fashion, which was heavy on suiting and luxe outerwear in a muted palette of black, ivory, navy, and khaki.
There was one splash of red (like the pear wax) via a cashmere coat, clutched closed, with matching red leather opera gloves.
Givenchy
Givenchy went grown up and glamorous, falling in line with January’s menswear collection that utilized the haute couture atelier for sharply tailored looks that opened the show.
The focus here was on a strong shoulder, nipped waist and magnified volume in coats and blazers. Eveningwear was refined and elegant.
A series of black dresses, one with a bodice made of strings of pearls, riffed on the house’s iconic LBD and pearls look worn by Audrey Hepburn.
Two dresses featured a fish print sketched by Hubert de Givenchy and a hit of colour came in three emerald green dresses.
Chanel
A giant camellia towered in the middle of the Chanel set and real ones were left on every guest’s seat. Creative director Virginie Viard’s press notes described the flower as “an eternal code of the house” and it provided much of the inspiration for this collection.
It appeared scattered across several looks and woven into the fabric of tweeds, knitwear, and silk, as well as on jewelry and bags. The mainly black and white collection was interspersed with accents of pink, red, and aubergine and also included winter shorts worn over white tights.
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten specializes in timelessness. The store in LA has a room that sells random archive pieces from collections past but they look as fresh as the current offering. The show notes remind us of “the pleasure of fabrics and the life they take on over the years; cherished, used, repaired.”
Van Noten is a quiet advocate for investment dressing. In this collection antique fabrications are revisited afresh with faded florals glimpsed beneath technical mesh and hand-painted floral prints mixed with gold foil overlay on overcoats. The alchemy is masterful.
Courrèges
The face of the first model onto the runway was lit by the blue glow of her mobile phone, with two others following, also glued to their screens. They wore boxy coats with the sleeves hanging free, their arms slipped through slant pockets instead, creating a modern cape silhouette. Creative director Nicolas Di Felice mined the 1960s heritage of the house with mini dresses and go-go boots. Mirrored CD sized discs, that served as the show invitation, appeared on long slinky black dresses, and pops of color came in a candy pink and red dresses.
Alexander McQueen
“Human anatomy, the anatomy of clothing, the anatomy of flowers … a focus on cut, proportion and silhouette,” explained creative director Sarah Burton on the show notes. The topline message was strict tailoring – shoulders were strong, waists were narrow. Trousers had built-in heels elongating the leg. Despite the orchid motif the mood was tough, with biker leathers reworked into dresses. Menswear included tailored corsets over white shirting and worn on a bare chest. Here, back views were as noteworthy as the front with cutouts and red embellished orchids.
Read more at The Guardian.
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