PFW: Louis Vuitton

Doors lined the runway – opening and closing as the models progressed down the catwalk during Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter womenswear collection.  Marc Jacobs went back to his hotel theme for this show.  Women’s Wear Daily states, “He conveyed a sense of intimacies exposed — the walk of shame, some called it, which fits with what he was saying backstage about our exhibitionistic and voyeuristic tendencies.”  The main theme was sleepwear, including negligees, pajamas, house coats belted at the waist, mid-riff baring tops, bras, and camisoles.   

 

The outerwear consisted of menswear influenced pieces such as oversized topcoats, fur-lined plaid coats, bold blazers with strong shoulders, infused with touches of femininity with flower embroidery.  Some other key looks were the halter top with wisps of feathers at the bottom paired alongside wide leg trousers with sequins spread out at the hemline, the ombré ostrich feathers lining the bottom of coats and dresses, and the mix of fully sequined and sheer dresses.   

The colour palette was full of very subdued colours, which added to the ambiance of the 50’s hotel feeling with all the girls wearing wigs from the decade.  The bags were very luxe made of crocodile and full-fur.  The shoes were high with bold heels – almost sandal-like.  At the end of the show, Jacobs came out of a door wearing an awesome bright red pajama set with flowers all over from his men’s Louis Vuitton collection.  Overall, the show was nothing less than what we’ve come to know and love about the brand.

All photos sourced from style.com

PFW: Alexander McQueen

Today’s Alexander McQueen show was definitely short and sweet.  This was a true high-fashion presentation.  The outfits were all immaculate; many were Victorian style with ruffles framing the face, reminiscent of Mary Queen of Scots.  Peplum waists and broad shoulders were the typical body silhouette present, along with feathered coats that almost seemed to leap off the runway.  There were also two medieval outfits with short skirts and a long train in a mix of solid and sheer fabrics that brought the collection to another level.    

Legs were covered in chainmail-type stockings with shoes that were both high and bold – with many pearl-esque studs.  Accessories included gloves that only covered the women’s fingers as well as the crystal headwear that was seen in every look.  The all black and white collection mixed with silver elements really pushed the boundaries of the fashion we have previously seen at Paris Fashion Week and was a great way to bring a heightened level of style.

 

All photos sourced from style.com

PFW: Saint Laurent

For his second women’s collection for Saint Laurent, Heidi Slimane pulled together a badass grunge look for the fall.  Anything you can envision from the style of grunge was seen on the Saint Laurent runway.  There were yellow prom-ish dresses paired with lumberjack shirts, black outfits with fishnet stockings, ripped leather pants with oversized blazers, and plaid and flower-prints with long fur coats.  Most of the models donned the essential footwear for the grunge kid – the biker boot.   

Leather was of course a staple throughout the show, with jackets, skirts, and dresses featuring the animal skin.  It is ironic that Marc Jacobs was famously fired for his resurrection of the grunge look in a high-fashion atmosphere.  Nowadays anything is possible and something such as grunge is celebrated profusely.  These girls may be looking a little rough around the edges, but they still speak volumes for what their outfits stand for.

All photos sourced from style.com

PFW: Givenchy

“The strength of gypsies meets the romanticism of a Victorian feeling.” – WWD

Riccardo Tisci brought much of the same styles that we have been seeing Givenchy come out with over the past couple seasons.  There was a strong darkness to the collection, with a lot of black and red, as well as an awesome fiery orange that came out halfway through the show.  He continued the trend of the oversized Givenchy sweaters with pictures of Bambi on them this time.  Another following trend was leather detailing on jackets, mostly around the shoulders.  Clothes were folded over around the waist, creating a unique style for the women.  Sheer skirts and flower motifs on dresses also rounded up these powerful outfits.

 

All photos sourced from style.com

PFW: Balenciaga

Alexander Wang’s much-anticipated first show as the designer for Balenciaga was shown in Paris today.  The collection was an infusion of the Alexander Wang brand and the Balenciaga house.  The only colours were black, white, and silver, with a few hints of dark forest green, making it an extremely crisp and clean collection.  Wool coats that parted halfway down with a single button and a metal collar clasp plus fur trim on the collar were an amazing sight to be seen.   

There were also high-waisted pleated trousers, thick structured jackets that were geometrically tailored, cut-out tops with whole strips missing in the back, long dinner jackets, cracked wax coated tops, and brocade-esque pants with the embellishments actually being cut-outs.  For shoes, Wang had an affinity for leather boots with silver rope around the ankles that looked a lot like barbed wire.   

He also showed heels with tiny ankle straps and t-strap heels as well.  Although this was his first collection for the powerhouse of Balenciaga, Wang has a truly inspirational background and it showed during this collection.  The pieces were all immaculately tailored and showed an extremely clean image for the brand as well as mixing his own unique style.  This shows that Wang is capable of heading another style and has many tricks up his sleeves.

All photos sourced from style.com

MFW Recap

Grazie Milano! Your shows this season were amazing!  We were treated to the high-quality workmanship and soft edge that Italian designers are known for.  The looks were diverse across the board, from the glitz and glam of Roberto Cavalli’s collections, to the mod Missoni and Salvatore Ferragamo, to the sexiness of Versace and Gucci (and let’s not forget Dsquared²’s show that was very masculine and very feminine all at the same time).   

The collections were extremely powerful with a blend of quality and design (turn to Jil Sander for a great example of this).  We were also privy to a high amount of rich and luxurious fabrics used together to create truly unique outfits.  Bottega Veneta gave us the essential Italian mix of wool and silk, while Marni showed us some leather, fur, and tweed.  Milan showed us a wicked week of true fashion like only the Italians can do it.  To Paris we go!!

Gucci Finale (sourced from fashion.telegraph.co.uk)

MFW: Emporio Armani

Wow – Emporio Armani’s collection this season went all over the place.  Well, I guess with 75 looks in total, you’ve got to have a large repertoire up your sleeve.  Mr. Armani says that his collection was, “a more innovative romanticism” (WWD).  He for sure achieved this with the help of his 20’s theme, drawing much inspiration from the decade to produce these looks.   

Every model had a hat on – mostly bowler or cloche hats, and brought forth a more masculine feeling when mixed with the tailored menswear pieces.  Armani used a lot of pastels this season, saying, “I wanted to lighten up winter, which is generally made up of too many dark colors and materials that are too hot” (WWD).  There were a few out-there pieces such as the fleece-type dresses and the matching wide-leg trousers.  Then we had a few avant-garde stiff velvet dresses with inflated skirts to wrap up the collection.  Didn’t seem extremely wearable, but hey, that’s fashion!

All photos sourced from style.com