Live From... Paris Fashion Week, Day 4

Christian Dior

            

There was no denying the emotional charge at Dior yesterday, from theatmospheric set – an ornate salon with ice-dusted mirrors bathed in an eerieblue light – to Sidney Toledano’s loaded speech, and the ensemble of atelierswho replaced the disgraced designer John Galliano for the final bow. Even thecollection seemed to lack the usual spirit, despite baring obvious Gallianohallmarks. This was a sad swan song for Galliano, perhaps best articulated bythe long and lingering kiss the final model blew out into the cold Parisianair. “The heart of the House of Dior, which beats unseen, is made up of itsteams and studios, of its seamstresses and craftsmen,” said Sidney Toledano.“What you are going to see now is the result of the extraordinary, creative andmarvellous efforts of these loyal, hardworking people.”

The look: Highway men and fair maidens

Silhouette: Flirty fit-and-flare, largely short and swingy

Key items: As ever with Galliano a historical influence is key,transpiring here as bow-trimmed knickerbockers and short pouffy bloomer shorts,sweeping maxi capes and coats, and off-the-shoulder velvet tops and dresses.But putting costume aside, there were short-and-swingy full or pleated skirtstopped with neat tailored jackets or flared princess coats, and oversizedT-shirt tops including one in pink-dyed python. Looks were also layered withfluffy fur or feathered jackets, and shrug-on hand-knit cardigans, whileflounces of tiered ruffles for baby-doll dresses and blouses added signatureromance. The deshabillé finale comprised typically negligée-inspired dresses inembroidered, tiered or millefeuille ruffled sheers

Colour: Intense Prussian blue with rich bordeaux red, loden greenand charcoal black; fresh skin pinks, a burst of canary yellow and a finale ofpoudré pales – sky, peach,boudoir pink, seafoam green, periwinkle and nude

Fabric & knit: Textured tweeds, bouclé, woolly plaids andtapestries; lustrous changeant velvet, taffeta and patterned jacquards;cashmere, pointelle knits, ribbon-threaded hand knits; soft leather, suede,luxe furs, pink-dyed python; watery silks, negligéesheers of chiffon, organza and tulle

Print & pattern: Flocked florals on taffeta, dainty creepingfloral stem on pale ground, micro repeats, diffused woven plaids

Details & trims: Plissétiers, lettuce-edge ruffles, bubble hems, balloon sleeves, a squared bib-front,capes and storm flaps on outerwear; tape trouser stripes, lace-insert stripes;beaded fringing, jet beading, twinkling micro embroideries, marabou-featherfronds, decorative ribbon running stitch

Footwear: Signature platform boots with buckled details - in ankleor over-the-knee lengths, multi-strap sandals with bows

Accessories: Floppy-brimmed fedoras, long knitted sleeves with furcuffs, fox-fur collars/stoles, fabric cuffs with cabochon stones; squashyunstructured leather bags, the Miss Dior in ridged suede or overstitchedmulticoloured tweed, small formal bags with chain straps

Lanvin

            

Alber Elbaz’s latest collection for Lanvin was the sum of two parts,with strict minimal tailoring morphing into full-blown romantic femininity,like a flower blooming after a long, austere winter, as his colour paletteshifted gear from deep monastic darks into warm, sun-filled brights.

The look: From winter into spring

Silhouette: The contrast of short and geometrically structured withminimal straight lines, to short and softly rounded

Key items: An opening passage of minimal tailoring came with simplerectangular shapes based on the collarless ¾ coat, the tunic and simpleknee-length skirt, all sporting horizontal seam lines and rounded shoulderlines.Short capes added a structured sense of volume, along with the floaty capesleeves on simple shift dresses and tops. Just-seen zips and reed-thin metal trimswere the only details apart from the collection’s extravagant jewellednecklaces and pins. The pace changed, as Elbaz introduced puffballs of gazarflowering at the shoulderline of a skinny knitted tube dress, that same corollaeffect appearing as a beautifully etched rose motif, worked as a placement oran all-over print. And slowly the colours warmed and the fabrics grew lighter,blossoming into a finale of couture-like pleats and graceful folds onflower-coloured cocktail dresses

Colour: A monastic palette of black and inky blue with grey,morphing through caramel and chestnut to vivid poppy, marigold, fuchsia andazalea pink

Fabric & knit: Fluid cashmeres for tailoring, leather,calfskin, broadtail, silk, snakeskin, silk gazar, lace, cloqué, satin

Print & pattern: A monochromatic rose print worked as aplacement motif or as an all-over repeat. A black and white spot pattern

Details & trims: Minimalist metal edging on tailoredsilhouettes, highlighting a front edge or pocket seam

Footwear: Flat mannish slip-ons, double ankle-strap heeled pumps,zipped ankle boots, long knee-length boots

Accessories: Dramatic rose-shaped necklaces, cuffs and brooches,sprinkled with gemstones; broad-brimmed felt hats, long gloves, intricateConstructivist collars

Roland Mouret

            

Roland Mouret expanded hisrepertoire this season, getting back into his stride adding casual jackets,some great pant shapes, easy coats and sumptuous furs to his roster ofsignature dresses. This season the latter took on a new more languid appealwith longer fluid silhouettes.

The look: Elegant femininity

Silhouette: Elongated and fluid

Key items: This season’s dresses came in elongated proportions,fluid skirts falling from a softly defined waist and alleviated by soft splithem details, with bodices featuring the designer’s signature manipulated dartsand seams or a gentle fan of pleats at the neckline. Longer pencil skirts tookthis almost vintage look to the max, teamed with military-style blousons for anew masculine/feminine appeal. Full-legged mannish pants and simple shirtsbrought a sporty tailored mood into play, along with soft shorts and leanmelanged knits. Shorter dress silhouettes bucked the languid mood before ashow-stopping evening gown in emerald green crepe de chine, its flirtybias-ruffled front traced with a snaking bronze zip

Colours: A subdued palette of olive, grey and black punctuated withrich brights – think old gold, grenadine, cornflower blue and emerald

Fabric & knit: Slubby tweed, pinstripe wools, bonded jersey, cashmere,self-coloured brocade, feathered fox

Print & pattern: A small-scale micro floral in black and white

Details & trims: Manipulated darts and seams, fan pleats at theneck of soft dresses and blouses, applied crystal trims, ribbed welts onblouson jackets

Footwear: Classic high-heeled T-bars

Issey Miyake

            

In a day of departures, creative director Dai Fujiwara stepped downfrom the helm at Issey Miyake. But there was no scandal and no fanfare, just asimple rondo played out on three pianos, slowly building as the collectiongathered pace. Opening with an installation performance, where assistantsfolded widths of paper tape into the templates of five pieces, they were thenjoined on stage with the fabric versions. It was a quiet insight into the conceptand underpinning work behind the winter collection.

The look: Conceptual construction

Silhouette: Blouson volume with peaked points and handkerchiefdrapes

Key items: Naturally for a winter season, outerwear was a key focus,and included a pair of slim-fitting tailored coats in zigzags or the blendedhoundstooth/herringbone jacquard, padded coats and jackets with a high neckcreated from an in-built scarf detail, a couple of soft-structure coats – onewith a caped layer and wide sleeves, the other a slouchy leather wrap coat. Wealso saw a series of cropped jackets, boleros or mini gilets in various formsincluding padded, in signature Miyake micro pleats or as a simple waist-knottedshirt. Blouson pants with outwardlypeaked points at the thigh were also transposed into bloomer-like shorts, whiledress options included a simple dropped-waist jersey dress with a zigzaggedtape-ribbon skirt and a halterneck pieced together with point-hung handkerchiefsquares

Colour: Tonal greys with solid black, Kelly green, poppy red, royalblue and burnt orange, with tan and butterscotch-coloured leathers

Fabric & knit: Silk, padded ciré, wool, tartan, cotton, suppleleather, stretchy mesh knit, coarse canvas, organza sheers andhoundstooth/herringbone jacquards

Print & pattern: The key pattern was inspired by Escher’s work Verbum,resulting in an overblown and pixellated houndstooth check that morphs into atulip pattern and then into herringbone. A further mix of prints and weaves includedzigzags, geometric knits, a scratch print, painterly strokes and a grayscaleblurred effect

Details & trims: Folded peplums, handkerchief squares hung onthe point

Footwear: Chunky clog boots and shoes

Accessories: Mesh knit leggings, degradé or patterned hosiery; widebelts made of patent-leather-interlocked paillettes; faux-fur sleeves andmatching snood

Maison Martin Margiela

            

After last season’s stiff sandwich boards and tongue-in-cheek sun-tanlines, the latest offer from MMM was something more - dare we say it? - understandable.This time the concept was a build-up of layers, which were partly revealed whenunzipped or peeled away, but putting this modular dressing aside for a moment,there was a new softer element of note, with ditsy floral prints, sensualdrapes and a delicate lace print.

The look: Conceptual layering

Silhouette: Deconstructed layers and peel-away panels, largelycolumnar silhouettes

Key items: While the show was meant to be an exploration of thedress, the collection offered much more than that, with knitted twinsets,maxiskirts paired with casual sweatshirts, biker jackets and coats withdetachable panels, and, of course, the aforementioned dresses. To be precise,they were coat-dresses that unzipped at the sides or peeled away from poppersat the front to reveal glimpses of other items layered underneath, such asshifts, midi skirts or spaghetti-strapped tops. Elsewhere there were softlydraped dresses that looked particularly fresh for the label, as did the silkT-shirt dress printed with a delicate trompe l’oeil lace trim

Colours: Rich plum, cranberry, papal purple, pine green, grey andsky blue

Fabric & knit: Wool, felt, velvet, super-glossy patent leather,bonded neoprene, jersey sweatshirting, silk, Lurex, rabbit, shaved mink

Print & pattern: Dainty florals, trompe l’oeil lace

Details & trims: Long coordinated belts, sheer overlays, lowscooping backs, zip slits, uneven slouchy drapes, long plissé, detachable panels

Footwear: Sock boots comprised stockings pulled over shoes, whichfeatured a detached sole and shoe

Accessories: Elongated clutch bags, fold-over clutch bags; earcuffs, gold knuckle-duster rings; long unzipped gloves with the sleeve hangingloose

Vivienne Westwood

            

In an emotionally charged day in Paris, Vivienne Westwood brightenedforlorn fashion souls with an incredibly upbeat show full of glitter, sequinsand bursts of gold confetti. Her aim was to present strong women who werecapable of carrying her political torch, hence the military helmets, Kabukiwarrior-style make-up and lashings of gold, which she said resembled “powerfulgodliness”. “At first there was no colour because I just wanted strong shapes, andfor people to concentrate on the clothes, but then I added gold because it is astory about the triumph of women, and gold symbolises the gods, bringing uscloser to the power of Olympus,” said Westwood.

The look: Fierce femininity

Silhouette: Slouchy blouson volume, signature swags and drapes

Key items: Pants were loose and slouchy with a twisted fit, whichfollowed through to signature swagged dresses, this time updated with sleevesin mismatched lengths. Skirts were typically either pencils or tulips, and wereworn as part of a nipped-waist tailleur, or with poplin blouses featuringpeaked shoulders and leg-of-mutton sleeves and ruffled jabot. Elsewhere therewere wrap-around maxis and midi skirts with paper-bag waists, teamed withcommercial tops or sweatshirts and some red-carpet-worthy gowns, including anuncharacteristically simple one-shouldered black option and a full-on goldsequinned bandeau column

Colour: Gold, gold and more gold, with nuances of fawn, warm mink,creamy beige, faux nude and soft peach, with tonal, dirtied or dusted greys andpunchy hits of fiery orange and cool turquoise

Fabric & knit: Herringbone bouclé tweed, wool, hand knits in marled yarns, classic pinstripeand simple cotton poplin, printed velvet, taffeta, silk, tulle, jacquards,all-over gold sequins, painted denim, metallic coated foils

Print & pattern: Baroque florals, a fiery red Aztec pattern,mosaic print with primitive figure, hand-drawn stripes, stylised leopard spots,heraldic bird graphic in a silhouette placement

Details & trims: Random jacquard pockets placed on rustic knitsweater, bubble-shaped crinoline, trailing scarves, paper-bag waists, lashingsof gold sequins, embroidered coin spots, mismatched sleeve lengths, exaggeratedleg-of-mutton sleeves and peaked shoulders

Footwear: Gold and silver sequinned courts and ankle boots withmetal kitten heel, over-the-knee boots in pieced brocade

Accessories: Baguette clutch in croc, wide printed canvas shopper,gold sequinned rucksack; gold and diamanté bijoux jewellery including cuffs, ornate necklaces andoversized earrings; military-esque cloche helmets

Yohji Yamamoto

            

The upcoming V&A retrospective of Yohji Yamamoto’s 30 years at thehelm of fashion’s avant-garde could have been a clue to the concept behind hisautumn/winter showing, as the ever-young designer moved seamlessly between 80spunk references and his signature historical romantic sensibility.

The look: Deshabillé punkEdwardiana

Silhouette: Elongated and tubular contrasted with subtle hourglass

Key items: The mesh tube dress underpinned the collection, as thedesigner added and subtracted sheer flower-patterned overlayers, bunchy pleatedskirts, fluttering asymmetric-hemmed tunics, cutaway corsets, punky knits andwaisted hourglass coats. A more romantic sensibility came into play with hoopedcrinoline skirts, caught up to reveal ravaged lace hosiery or cut away intoskeletal formations, that same romantic mood moving through to a collection ofasymmetric LBDs, ruffled and pintucked, and worn with Edwardian-styled shouldercapes

Colour: A focused palette of black, grey and khaki, with vividaccents of grenadine and blood red

Fabric & knit: Sheer meshes, mesh jersey, tulle, georgette,silk, canvas, sturdy wools, leather, velvet and lace, punky loosely structuredknits

Print & pattern: A monochromatic flower motif worked as overblownscale placements, a tie-dye-effect placement and a concentric spot pattern, allon sheers and mesh

Details & trims: Asymmetric hems

Footwear: Sturdy laced military boots in black, grey or red

Accessories: Intricate lace, mesh or printed hosiery, long gloves

Isabel Marant

            

Isabel Marant continued to mine Americana influences for herautumn/winter showing, drawing on North American Navajos and life on the GreatPlains, with her borrowed-from-the-boys denim and cocooning outerwear shapes.It was commercial and it was well conceived, but it seemed to miss the beatthat is underscoring next season’s trends.

The look: Cowgirls and Indian squaws

Silhouette: Cocooning versus body-con

Key items: Oversized outerwear had a borrowed-from-the-boys feel,with big cocooning parkas and mannish jackets layered over a parade of denimpatchwork shirts and jeans, nylon puffas and cabled or Navajo-patterned fringedknits. Vividly coloured Lurex body-con dresses added a more sexy vibe, alongwith wrapped sweater dresses, maybe to team with a sleeveless tuxedo jacket fora masculine/feminine vibe. A photoreal feather print and suede fringed Pocahontasdresses were perhaps an Indian squaw look too far, but the jeans andpatchworked cabans should keep Marant fans happy next season

Colour: All shades of denim blue with winter white, grey and accentsof pine, electric blue, red and navy

Fabric & knit: Cocooning shearlings, goat, mannish tweeds andblanket wools will stave off those prairie winds, layered over suede, crochetknits, puffa nylons, Lurex knits and embroidered lace-like mesh

Print & pattern: Navajo-inspired motifs as prints andembroidery placements; a photoreal feather print

Details & trims: Fringing details, patchwork

Footwear: Wedged runkled knee-high boots with flaying fringes

Accessories: Feather pendant necklaces

Posted in: A/W 2011/12,Christian Dior,Isabel Marant,Issey Miyake,Lanvin,Maison Martin Margiela,Paris Fashion Week,Roland Mouret,Vivienne Westwood,Yohji Yamamoto