Live From... Paris Fashion Week, Day 6

Costume National

  

With a few tweaks, the modernist mood Ennio Capasa first mooted for spring returned for winter with the same clean lines and strong solid colours, albeit this time tempered with graphic black. The fluidity and softer fabrications of last season were also ousted in favour of triple wool crepe and thermo-bonded fabrics, which gave a new sense of structure. “I tried to describe the modernism of today,” said Capasa. “I started with the 60s, which was a very innovative time, to bring the aesthetic and then developed a new couture by merging with techno materials.”

The look: Modernist minimal

Silhouette: Straight, sitting away from the body

Key items: The 60s inspirations gave rise to several straight-cut sleeveless shift dresses, either featuring a turtleneck that was cut away at the nape of the neck, or layered over poloneck sweaters and tops, while pants were either super-skinny cigarette or straight-cut and cropped. The slim-legged silhouette was offset with tunic tops, hooded windcheaters with curved high-low hems, or a simple cocoon-blouson wool crepe tee. The graphic minimal lines followed through to outerwear and tailoring, which offered coats with folded face-framing collars, a sleek frock coat with contrast-coloured lapels, and a pantsuit in cornflower blue with concealed zip closure and narrow turned-up collar. The wide-cut maxidresses from the summer collection returned with front-flap panels and overblown tape grids

Colour: Graphic black and ivory, with cornflower blue, canary yellow and bright lipstick red

Fabric & knit: Wool crepe - sometimes thermo-bonded in triple layers; silk, viscose cadi, nylon, warm alpaca wools, leather

Print & pattern: There was no print, but Mondrian-inspired pattern was created with colour-blocking, coloured piping and overblown tape grids

Details & trims: Leather trims such as welt pockets, patent tape trims, silk panels, raw unfinished edges that revealed triple-layered fabric, folded and layered collars, detachable oversized hoods, flap-like layers on dresses, concealed coat closures, industrial zips, graphic piping (colour on black), large tile-like square paillettes in a frosted or matt finish, turtlenecks cut away at the back, colour-blocking

Footwear: Pointed-toe wedge shooties, some with an ankle strap, heeled sandals in geometrical cut 

Accessories: Document-case clutch bags in coloured leather or glossy black calfskin, small evening bags with thermo lining, leather gloves

Posted in: A/W 2011/12,C'N'C Costume National,Paris Fashion Week