Julien Dossena explored a joyful evening wardrobe by re-interpreting club kids & nights spirit of the Paco Rabanne disco era.
Pictures from the Spring 2018 collection, shown this Paris Fashion Week, are below.
Paco Rabanne: Paris Fashion Week
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Represented by PR Consulting Paris.
A study in asymmetry was at the center of “Make Love,” Beautiful People’s Spring 2018 collection, shown this Paris Fashion Week. But more than asymmetry: an absolute collision meant to boldly go where few collections have gone before.
The press materials call it “a love story, inside a wardrobe.” Walking in circles — circling around love, perhaps — models made their way around the showroom, in a presentation that unfolded like figures in a mechanized music box.
Beautiful People: Paris Fashion Week
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With a past in patterning at Comme des Garçons Homme, and a bright future with his own line, Beautiful People, designer Hidenori Kumakiri tells a love story between trench coats and dresses, checks and flowers, zipped up and brought together.
The collection included complex layering and some bold juxtapositions, such as a tiny moto jacket over a striped dress, with a lace petticoat over sneakers. Like Rei Kawakubo of Commes des Garçons, the collection had a decidedly conceptual element, which might limit itself from a wider audience at retail, but should appeal to the intellectual, adventurous, and avant garde.
it should appeal to the intellectual, adventurous, and avant garde
Kumakiri’s tailoring skill in unmistakable. Indeed, it would have to be to create mergers like this. But some of the collection’s brightest moments were when the craftsmanship was allowed to speak for itself: such as in the angular lines of a houndstooth short suit.
The latest collection shows a designer who isn’t afraid to take chances, and has the skill to actually pull it off.
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Represented by Pressing PR.
Reclaiming (or maybe just “claiming”) power is a big theme in our culture right now. There’s this weird idea going around that maybe people would like to be treated equally, rather than an objects, automatic servants, or less-than’s.
It’s in this spirit, I think, that a show like Veronique Leroy’s, shown this Paris Fashion Week, makes use of a song like “There’s a Party in My Pussy” by Catastrophe. (The song starts at around :28.)
“There’s a party in my pussy/Everybody come on.”
If you remove the sci-fi intro, the song seems to lampoon the idea that sexuality is a commodity, or available for public entertainment. (Which, of course, it very much is, judging by how the media uses sexuality to sell pretty much everything, from cars to TV shows to, well, fashion.)
It’s hard to imagine a time when music had to be sold based on talent, media based on notable content, and fashion based on style, or the ability to intrigue. What a loss for our culture, when we learned sex could sell faster, better — and with less substance and greater disposability.
It’s hard to imagine a time when music had to be sold based on talent, and fashion based on style
Veronique Leroy: Paris Fashion Week SS18
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For Spring 2018, Leroy presented a beautiful collection of summery separates, with strong-shouldered silhouettes and big, bold belts. Draped tangerine tops were paired with sea-green tasseled skirts; there were translucent blouses with beautiful pleats, and what appeared to be brown suede separates with boho fringes. One of our favorites was the signature branded skirt that gave almost a safari-camo effect.
Leroy presented a beautiful collection of summery separates
But our absolute favorite was the puce knitted top with the rope belt and lemon shorts.
Everything just felt perfect for an adventure requiring perfect taste: just the kind of thing our current culture of idiocracy seems to be lacking.
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Represented by Pressing PR.
Passion was the guiding force behind Afterhomework’s Spring 2018 collection, shown at Paris Fashion Week. The brand has been the focus of several high-profile articles, called a “new talent on the radar” by Vogue Italia, and interviewed in W.
For SS18, Afterhomework’s Elena Mottola and Pierre Kaczmarek worked spontaneously and separately. The result is a collection of one-offs, each based on a specific idea, or desire. Revising for his philosophy BAC exams, Kaczmarek found inspiration in Hegel: “Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
Afterhomework: Paris Fashion Week SS18
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The sum total of this stream-of-consciousness approach is an adventurous collection that encompasses every day streetwear, casual eveningwear, and even monkish avant garde. But the collection was at its best (if possibly less wearable) when it leaned to the conceptual. Some standout, one-of-a-kind looks appeared to wrap models in newspaper, drape them in ruffles or modern art, or be made almost entirely of neck ties.
one-of-a-kind looks appeared to wrap models in newspaper, or be made of neck ties
“We didn’t ask ourselves if it all matched,” says Kaczmarek, “we let our imaginations guide us.” Dresses shaped by drawstrings that look like a bundle of freshly washed laundry; pants embellished with ruffles; flat, robe style jackets; cropped and oversized pieces, and an abundance of t-shirts ignore gender in a chaotically harmonious mix of urban and sport style.
We didn’t ask ourselves if it all matched,” says Kaczmarek
Fabrics are soft and natural cottons, wools, and windbreaker nylon. This is all worked in graphic black and white with men’s shirt stripes and a new color injection in signature Lamborghini orange and purple.
This collection is marked by several new collaborations. T-shirt graphics with MMX DELTA and OEL Paris’s Youri Gampel and Simon François; ice block bracelets and other accessories by Camille Pogu, a young French artist friend; handmade in Italy shades from the up-and-coming Bob Sdrunk and sneakers by Converse.
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FWO
What better way to bring Paris Fashion Week to a close than to launch a new museum dedicated to one of the greats of French and global fashion, namely Yves Saint Laurent.
The museum opens to the public on Tuesday, October 3rd, showcasing YSL’s work from his first Dior days through to his greatest creations and his death in 2008. The Dior connection is emphasized by the presence of his old cane left on the desk where YSL used to work.
The museum showcases YSL’s work from his first Dior days through to his greatest creations
On four floors, starting with the salons where customers once sat and watched his work modelled, the visitor can see a variety of designs, jewelry, swatches, notepads, photographs and books on display. Entering the museum you’re first confronted with an impressive montage of YSL’s Warhol screen-prints.
The museum will rotate collections, but what better way to launch than with YSL’s 1962 debut collection? There are collections featuring an homage to an era, intricately decorated jackets, theatrical designs and jewelry all stunningly featured. The last gallery includes the iconic Mondrian dress and other dresses inspired by the great painters, including Picasso, van Gogh and Matisse.
To mark the opening, a plaque was unveiled in the presence of Madison Cox, the new President of the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, and Bruno Julliard, First Deputy Mayor of Paris. In a tour, the VIP’s pored over the table where YSL worked, almost as if they were waiting for him to reappear, as the tables and desk are reconstructed as if he had just stepped out of the room.
a plaque was unveiled in the presence of Madison Cox
A short movie brings the collections and YSL’s career to life, narrated by Pierre Bergé, YSL’s former partner in work, life and love. Bergé was instrumental in bringing the museum to completion, but sadly died on 8 September before the launch. A second YSL museum opens in Morocco later in the month, next to the former home of the two men.
It is fascinating to see so many of YSL’s most iconic dresses preserved and on display in the place they were first created, which can only bring inspiration to aspiring designers and delight to a broader audience.
it can only bring inspiration to aspiring designers and delight to a broader audience
Tickets start at EUR 7.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (last entry at 5:15 p.m.). Open Friday until 9:00 p.m. (last entry at 8:15 p.m.). Closed on Monday and January 1, May 1, and December 25. Early closing at 4:30 p.m. on December 24 and 31.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris
5 avenue Marceau
75116 Paris – France
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Represented by OBCM.
Life begins the day you start a garden.” Or so goes the old Chinese proverb, anyway. Maybe it was a search of this kind of in-the-moment tranquility that led Pascal Millet to offer up a lovely, dreamy, floral-centered collection this Paris Fashion Week.
Or maybe it was just the idea of an escape to some paradise where all needs are attended to. Certainly, the collection has just that kind of appeal.
Pascal Millet: Paris Fashion Week SS18
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Very wearable separates featured fun floral prints or cabana detailing; there were asymmetrical blouses with breezy bottoms; even lightweight combinations with beautiful gathering made for day and evening. We were especially enamored of the gold shorts with matching tote and the array of sequined cocktail dresses.
Paskal Millet is making clothes with timeless appeal, that should do well indeed at retail this spring.
Millet is making clothes with timeless appeal
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Represented by Totem Fashion.
Shanghai-based Sirloin is the brainchild of Mao and Alve, two Central Saint Martins graduates. They have already been awarded LVMH Grand Prix Scholarship, the L’Oréal Professional Young Design Talent, and the Sally Woodward Award.
The latest collection, shown at Paris Fashion Week, explored “how China is mirroring American prosperity in the ’90s and becoming the new land of possibilities.” It used American consumer-centeric TV shows such as Miami Vice and Baywatch as a sort of objective correlative to explore China’s nouveau riche (Tu Hao). (Think Wang Sicong, the son of China’s richest man Wan Jianlin showing photos of his dog wearing two Apple watches.)
Sirloin: Paris Fashion Week SS18
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Sirloin sees Taobao (China’s Amazon) as an epicenter of what they call a “melting consumerism dream,” where “opposites blend together.”
The result is a surrealist collection in the true vein of André Breton et alia: a juxtaposition of elements that seek to create a new reality: one might even say a “new normal.”
The result is a surrealist collection in the vein of André Breton
In that sense, the collection is a true reflection of our modern society, that seems to have jumped the shark in the recent past, and where novelty and excess themselves (at least in the media) have become parodical. (A tragic reality, given how many people are still in need.)
Denim jackets — or trench coats — on swimsuits; Western belts on silk bottoms; double belts, and shoulder pads with sandals. The collection paints the picture of excess, in a world where nothing quite makes sense.
trench coats on swimsuits, or shoulder pads with sandals
And interestingly, it does so with combinations that often seem to work in spite of everything.
Photography: Clemens Klenk
Art Direction: Au Matt
Styling: Anna Pesonen
Hair & Make-up: Natasha Lawes
Casting: Tingting Nong
Production: Devi Sok
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There was much anticipation for this season’s Ungaro show, considering the new Italian creative director Marco Colagrossi at the helm since March, and the issue of Ungaro having had to cancel their Fall 2017 show.
Needless to say, the audience had a certain level of expectations. Many were not disappointed.
Emanuel Ungaro: Paris Fashion Week SS18
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There’s something about chiffon and organza that screams delicacy. You can find such fabrics in paintings of royals across Paris, usually delicately laced over women in reclining poses. Over at the Emanuel Ungaro runway show, these gentle fabrics were used, but certainly not in an innocent, demure way. Colagrossi made it a point to deliver a distinct contrast between the traditional representation of these fabrics and today’s lady.
these gentle fabrics were used, but certainly not in an innocent, demure way
Typically glamorous, luxurious fabrics were made young, adapted to fit a more practical lifestyle and accommodating a woman with diverse interests. The designer even left some intentionally rough edges, perhaps to suggest an unfinished, more wild and unstructured nature.
Color was key for SS ’18, with deep purples and blues paired together to match, and a few vibrant prints that just come alive, through depth or texture.
For a brief moment while watching the presentation, I felt this sudden recall to the gentle world of Delpozo, but Colagrossi is a bit more daring, a lot more practical, and even more intense. He doesn’t aim to be perfect, instead reaching for something more human, more realistic.
Colagrossi is a bit more daring, and even more intense
We later saw a turn to more aggressive fabrics too, a vinyl (or leather?) piece here and there to demonstrate a more artistic dimension.
There’s something to be said about the use of vintage silhouettes at Paris Fashion Week in general, and Ungaro was no exception. The collection included a darling midi somewhat-pencil skirt, giving the appearance of curvy hips, in addition to the color palette. Gathers, seen in AALTO, Loewe, and many others this season, also made an appearance here. I think we’ve seen what will be one of the top trends next spring.
I think we’ve seen what will be one of the top trends next spring
The white sub-collection was a breath of fresh air, so sweet and delicate, paired with a kick-ass attitude showing a cool glam angle. We even observed a handful of high-low dresses, too, pointing to a potential comeback at Ungaro.
There’s a conscious desire to keep the Ungaro woman in feminine looks, not hiding the body or adopting masculine-leaning looks. It’s as if he wants to say, women can dress like the beautiful creatures that we are, while still being taken seriously. There was a single nod to the pant suit, but turned on its head and redone with an exaggerated statement-purple organza sleeve that really was delicate but appeared to be quite sharp.
women can dress like the beautiful creatures that we are, while still being taken seriously
What I loved most from the designer’s thinking was his idea to deliver the beauty and powerful effect of volume without the weight, which is so important for a spring/summer collection. The collection had range, brilliantly-integrated sub-collections and promise for a wonderful season. I see a glimmer of brilliance in Colagrossi’s aesthetic and I can’t wait to see more!
I loved his idea to deliver the powerful effect of volume without the weight
Next time you find yourself at the fabric store, get a couple of yards of jewel-tone chiffon to prepare for next season — it’s going to be a darling alternative to a necklace!
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In Manifesto of Futurism, the poet cum philosopher Filippo Tommaso Marinetti proposed an artistic and social philosophy that embodied a rejection of the past, and you might even say heralded (or at least would have welcomed) 20th century industrialization and mechanization.
The aim, naturally, was progress, which is, of course, ironic, as both good and bad things have come from the assembly lines of the 20th century: more wealth, a greater middle class, but also factory farms, mass production that has led to mass disposability, and — as a result — a looming ecological crisis.
Being that Owens is an expat American who seems to have rejected Americanism (even Owen’s website ends in “.eu,”), one shouldn’t be surprised that certain looks set out to mimic “a crude American’s brutalist interpretation of French confection.”
An indeed, with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in office, I think a lot of Americans are feeling a good bit of Anti-Some-Americans sentiment right about now.
Interestingly, Owens created several custom fabrics for the collection, including “twill gazar made from a silk and paper yarn; a nylon/cotton technical canvas with the sheen of a duchesse; stiff cotton sateen canvas; a chalky matte rubber and cotton canvas; shiny lacquered canvas; and metal mega-bugle beaded canvas.”
Owens created several custom fabrics
The upshot, beyond all the philosophical gloss, was a collection that looked like it belonged in Steven Meisel’s Makeover Madness. There was a certain mental hospital-bedlam to some of the looks, with attached pillows, asymmetrical socks that looked like tendon braces, and chunky utilitarian sandals.
If the draping was exquisite, the picture painted here was unmistakable: of an injured world, with people in it who have gone mad, mad, mad.
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FWO
Represented by Karla Otto.
Abstract and stylized signs, symbols and ideas from the East. Without any cliché. That was the stated goal of Rochas Spring 2018 collection, presented at Paris Fashion Week
True to the 92-year-old fashion house, founded by Marcel Rochas, looks were exotic, mysterious, and just a little boho.
Rochas: Paris Fashion Week SS18
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Imaginary tapestries. Exotic, opulent, and golden brocades, dubbed with crêpe de chine and worn backwards. Each creation is light and shadow, forehand and backhand.
The embroideries are superimposed to the prints. And the prints are superimposed to brocades. Light and heavy coexist in the same look, a layering of colors and patterns but also of volume and silhouettes.
Light and heavy coexist in the same look
Memories of boudoir and French couture: chiffon, sigaline, georgette describe important structures glorious as memories of past greatness. Everything is contemporary and linear in appearance. But also articulate and traditional in details.
Memories of boudoir and French couture
Black is ubiquitous. With shafts of lights that show up as snippets of sky seen by window slits. Light pink, purple, blue. With a dissonant tint of green.
Accessories are punctuations of color, imaginary lampshade lit indoors at dusk. Flat mules or semi-high mules by strong tones. And micro clutches in tone with the collection.
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