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Zac Posen
Zac Posen’s signature brand of slightly brash uptown US glamour doesn’t always sit easily on the Paris runways, especially on a day headlined by groundbreaking names like Balenciaga and Balmain. His silhouettes may have a certain glossy appeal, but they are far removed from the innovative creativity that is the hallmark of Paris Fashion Week.
The look: Va-va-vroom
Silhouette: Hourglass
Key items: The waist-whittling peplum jacket often sits at the heart of a Zac Posen collection and for next winter they came in clinging panelled snakeskin and seamed jersey with corsetry fastenings, layered with second-skin pencil skirts and a series of flat-front cropped pants, or took the guise of a shapely pantsuit that laid the season’s trend for androgyny to rest. Curvaceous jersey dresses were etched with body-moulding seam lines, perfect to team with a full-on fur coat or maybe the carapace-back jacket that brought tailored looks into play. A Jessica Rabbit-style alligator bustier dress took the term snappy dresser to a whole new level. Then for those Posen red-carpet moments a procession of fan-hemmed ombréd gowns with multiple lettuce-edge seams took the hourglass silhouette to the max
Colour: Inky blues, Yves Klein blue, cadet blue, black, old rose, ultraviolet, silver
Fabric & knit: Dense jersey added the oomph factor along with bonded jersey for those form-fitting jackets, snakeskin effects, alligator, full furs, stretch satin and glittering sequins. Spongy jacquard knits
Print & pattern: Subtle ombréd effects
Details & trims: Darts and seaming for body-con looks
Footwear: Simple high-heeled black patent platform pumps
Accessories: Long gloves
Balenciaga
Last season’s punk-styled rockabilly girls were left behind in favour of a new longer boxy silhouette, inter-spliced with asymmetrically placed planes of collaged fabric, some that tapped into the season’s Constructivist influences, others worked in matt sheen combinations. But as ever with this designer, innovative fabrics were key to the look and offbeat prints added to the mix.
The look: Modern Constructivist
Silhouette: Elongated and boxy
Key items: The longer skirt ran throughout the collection, worked in vivid floral prints on optic white grounds or with contrast-banded hems, all teamed with square-cut pieced shell tops, long white shirt hybrids, knitted vinyl tanks and boxy jackets. Knits appeared as slouchy shapes worked in fish-scale effects or toning blocks of colour, while sheer tops were graphically banded with vertical black ribbons of fabric. Easy tweed-effect edge-to-edge coats were faced with black vinyl, worn with matching stove pants for a twist on pantsuit dressing, while unstructured shell tops and tunics were collaged and spliced with Constructivist panels, worn with contrasting brightly coloured cropped pants
Colour: Black and white, inky blues and grey, ultraviolet, hot pink, ginger, grenadine and cobalt
Fabric & knit: With Balenciaga, fabric is never quite what it seems and for autumn/winter we saw linear banding on transparencies, tweedy granular effects, knitted vinyl, bonded vinyl or leather effects, spongy bonded fabrics, exaggerated mesh, patent
Print & pattern: Vividly coloured florals and botanical motifs on bright white grounds
Details & trims: Contrast top stitching, asymmetric hems, inside-out seams, asymmetric panelling, angled folds and drapesFootwear: Multi-strap high-heeled pumps, some with a decorative medallion motifAccessories: Decorative clutch bags, knitted vinyl or leather-look scarves
Rick Owens
It is not unusual for Rick Owens to infer holy inspirations - his long-layered lengths often work a darkly monastic vibe - but perhaps he experienced a moment of divine intervention when designing his winter collection, one that led to a softer approach to his signatures; wimples in soft grey mink, padded sleeves that resembled angels’ wings and a lighter, softly shaded palette all hinted he had maybe seen the light.
The look: Winter layers
Silhouette: Columnar proportional layering, sometimes soft and cosy, others lean and narrow
Key items: Ultra-narrow maxiskirts or wide dropped-crotch knee-length shorts were the key layering pieces on which the looks were built. Mid layers comprised long ribbed-knit tunics, high-low-hemmed turtleneck sweaters and layered jersey tees peeking out at the waist, topped with a host of outerwear options including felted wool wrap jackets and coats with puffed sleeve heads tapering to a narrow sleeve, padded coats and jackets with wing-like sleeves and padded high-low peplum, and a host of capes in various options, from cropped mink to ovoid-shaped wool maxis, and even padded jackets with a cape-like shoulder extension. Signature biker jackets were also a key element, arriving in cropped wool with a shaped leather shoulder plate, stretch-knit sleeves and an off-centre zip closure (also offered in a knee-length coat), as well as simpler funnelneck black leather options
Colour: Graphic black, white and charcoal, with new softer shadings of fawn, taupe, asphalt, cement and a dusty skin pink
Fabric & knit: Angora knits, felted wool, jersey, thin malleable leathers, mink
Details & trims: Colour-blocked panelling, shaped leather panels, light padding, leather trims, stretch-knit sleeves, dropped crotch, two-button funnelnecks, ribbed-knit polo and turtlenecks, puffed sleeves that taper to a skinny arm, padded wing-like sleeves/shoulders
Footwear: Sturdy tall leather/suede boots with ridged detailing
Accessories: Mink wimples with ribbed-knit trim, above-the-elbow suede gloves with flared cuff and cutaway fingertips, shorter leather gauntlets
Nina Ricci
Fascinated by the way they capture “the richness and variety of feminine personality,” Peter Copping cited a veritable roll call of portrait artists as his inspiration this season - John Currin, Ingres, Marlene Dumas, John Singer Sargent, Tamara de Lempicka and Vanessa Beecroft.
The look: Unashamedly feminine
Silhouette: Softly oversized with swishy flare
Key items: The clothes were elegant and feminine, but a looseness and dishevelled appearance played down their primness. Soft-structured outerwear was integral to the look - flyaway satin coats with fur collars, simple wrap coats with wide portrait necklines that looked ready to fall off the shoulder, tweed or velvet robe coats with wide baggy sleeves, and a chunky knitted cardigan coat. Skirt suits also had that casual dressing appeal, with oversized jackets with rounded or sloping shoulder lines and swishy skirts, while even leaner pencil-skirt suits were given the rough-luxe touch with unfinished edges. The softness of shape followed through into wide-legged velvet pants, ruffle-neck blouses in crumpled satin, while reworked military sweaters featured satin shoulder patches and elongated sleeves that scrunched at the wrist. For evening, gowns were cut sensuously close to the body before flaring to a fishtail hem
Colour: Black with wintry aubergine and racing green; pretty pastels of salmon pink, ice blue and powdered nude
Fabric & knit: Bouclé tweeds, velvet and devoré, lamé, metallic cloqué (gold on pink), metal radzimir, lace, silk, satin, printed chiffons, stretch wools, double-faced cotton and wool, latex-like lambskin, mink
Print & pattern: Tonal calla lily florals
Details & trims: Crumpled and crushed fabrics, raw unfinished edges, crinkled ruching, narrow lace inserts, jewelled necklines, spaghetti straps, fur trims, low-scooping backs, mirrored sequin embroideries, twisted seams, lingerie and corsetry detailing, soft cowls
Footwear: Wedge-shaped platforms with a spike heel – ghillie-laced ankle boots and courts, some with a ribbon ankle tie
Accessories: Wide-brimmed floppy fur hats, jewelled alice bands, long skinny leather gloves, snakeskin clutch bags, ruched satin clutch with jewelled trim, Sam Browne studded belts
Balmain
David Bowie has emerged as a bit of a catalyst for several designers this season, as they continue to milk the rich seam of 70s influences. Christophe Decarnin capitalised on the trend, replacing last season’s punky bad girls with the otherwordly appeal of a Ziggy Stardust-themed collection. There were glitter and stardust in spades, but somehow this collection failed to live up to that famed Decarnin sparkle.
The look: Ziggy Stardust lives
Silhouette: Narrow and cropped
Key items: Decarnin restricted his collection to a few key pieces, reinterpreted in a multitude of star-spangled crystal, mirror embroidery and a galaxy of metallics. The key pant shape was narrow through the leg and cropped below the knee, with a gentle flare and a deep turn-back cuff - exactly like the pants worn in the early 70s by the British demimonde. They came teamed with slick blazers, skinny vests or loose bibbed tuxedo shirts, worked in a variety of shimmering lamés. Body-con all-in-ones provided a core layering piece worked in black or with crystal flashes and lightning bolts, which were perhaps a little too literal an interpretation of the Ziggy look. Dresses had a looser silhouette this season, with boxy shifts providing a canvas for the over-embellished mirrored embroideries that ran throughout the collection
Colour: Black and white as core colours, accented with silver and gold and a galactic iced blue
Fabric & knit: The accent was on lustre and shine, with metallic leather, lamé, satin, Lurex knits and the contrast of shaggy furs
Print & pattern: Lightning bolts and flashes worked in crystal and lamés
Details & trims: Intensely worked crystal and mirror embroideries, tufted fringing
Footwear: Knee-high laced boots
Ann Demeulemeester
There is nothing fragile or romantic about Ann Demeulemeester’s women for next winter. In their otherworldly layers of feathers and fur, they are primitive warrior women, laced and ruffled like stalking birds of prey.
The look: Primitif
Silhouette: Multi-layered
Key items: Demeulemeester’s multi-layered silhouettes are intimidating on first glance, all protective jutting angles and cocooning furs, but strip away the styling and we see hardcore skinny pants in stretch fabrics or leather, slick and neatly cropped biker jackets, maybe in gleaming silken broadtail, asymmetric skirts composed of laced strips of leather, and ruffled halter tops cascading from a laced leather placket. Unravel the feathered bandolier belts and harnesses, and you have mannish DB tailoring, maybe accented with caviar jet-beaded chevrons, or a simple waistcoat open to reveal a primitive-patterned fringed top, and for those night-bird stalkings, dramatic shaggy goat-hair coats
Colour: Black on black with the merest accents of bone and red
Fabric & knit: Leather, luxe wools, broadtail, goat, jet beading, slashed fringed effects
Print & pattern: A primitive tie-dye-effect chevron pattern, dip-dyed goat hair
Details & trims: Intricate lacing details, feathered trims
Footwear: High wedged boots, laced boots
Accessories: Bandolier belts and harnesses trimmed with goat hair or bristling feathers, silver bird-foot pendants, leather thongs, long leather gauntlets
Barbara Bui
Barbara Bui might not represent high fashion, but like her counterpart on the Paris schedule, Isabel Marant, her clothes will keep the cash registers ringing throughout the season. That’s because they are clothes designed for women rather than editorial pages. Each and every one of Bui’s highly covetable coats and jackets for autumn/winter 2011 was a winner, as were their accompanying skinny patent pants. These were clothes that can add oomph to the school run, pizzazz to a girly lunch date and come-hither rock-chic appeal to a hot date. In other words, real-life clothes for real-life women.
The look: Super-cool urban chic
Silhouette: Overscaled on top, counterbalanced by skinny bottomweights
Key items: The jacket was the key item within this collection, with influences drawn from flight jackets, biker styling, or the protective urban armour presented by overscaled fur-lined gilets, tethered at the hip with a rouleau belt and worn over skinny patent jeans or quilt-panelled biker pants. Jackets were big and oversized, featuring big stand collars and bold blocks of shearling, leather, bouclé and mohair. A flight jacket played with that same concept of textural mixes, worked in khaki with a zip-off goat-hair skirt-like hem, and Bui played up to the season’s trend for fabric-blocking, with her luxe shell tops in tonal bands of patent and mohair. A drapey leather tunic and breezy bloused silk variation were the dress options for next winter, great to layer with reed-thin jeans or to sex-up with vampy ankle boots
Colour: Black and bone, silver, tan, pale celadon, anthracite and khaki
Fabric & knit: Luxe-touch fabrics gave the collection its, edge with shearling and bouclé, brushed mohair, leather, metallic finishes and wet-look patent, open-mesh textures and washed silk
Details & trims: Leather bindings, horizontal stitching creating quilted effects, big stand collars
Footwear: Cream platform boots, vampy cutaway sandals, double-buckle heeled ankle boots, ankle boots with multiple chain trims
Accessories: Slouchy alligator hobos
Sharon Wauchob
Sharon Wauchob is on a roll. Maybe not the most high-profile name on the Paris schedule, she nevertheless has been quietly garnering a reputation as the go-to woman for the sort of clothes other women envy and ask what label you are wearing. She kept to a focused vision for autumn/winter, worked around simple shapes, delicate fabric textures and intensely plush furs.
The look: Confident femininity
Silhouette: Unstructured layers
Key items: Short skirts and dresses came as simple silhouettes, given added kudos by Wauchob’s innovative fabric treatments, with open-work lace and mesh featuring for asymmetric-hem fit-and-flare dresses or hip-slung studded mesh skirts teamed with a draped shell top. Calfskin pants upped the luxe quota, along with Wauchob’s intensely plush fur jackets and stoles, and for evening, short body-skimming dresses worked in delicate layered lace structures
Colour: A sophisticated palette of black and winter white, grey, chestnut, ink and a flash of orange and silverFabric & knit: Brushed wool, wool jersey, satin, calfskin, leather, beaded or studded mesh, crepe de chine, fox and sheared mink
Details & trims: Asymmetrically placed zips controlling fullness or used to create panel detailing
Footwear: High laced shooties with cutout apron fronts
Accessories: Metallic leather gauntlets
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