Live From... Paris Fashion Week, Day 1

Louis Vuitton

 
It was sophisticated sport-meets-safari for Kim Jones' debut at the helm of Louis Vuitton menswear, bringing the tailoring skills honed at Dunhill and his own sporty aesthetic to the luxury label. His childhood in Kenya also coloured the collection and led the designer to find further inspiration in photographer and diarist Peter Beard, whose work documents African wildlife.

“At its simplest level, it is about the idea of travel... after all, travel forms the foundation of the Vuitton brand.”  Said Kim Jones

The look: Sophisticated traveller

Silhouette: Sartorially tailored

Key items: Jones brings a casual touch to his tailored looks, with blazers and rolled pants or shorts, even lustrous silk wool evening SB suits are casually styled with collarless, open-necked shirts. There is heavy emphasis on outerwear – jackets in particular, with Harringtons and varsity blousons, quilted jackets, a four-pocket safari style and sporty hooded windcheaters as well as a classic trench coat and luxury parka in sand-coloured suede. With the African inspirations, summer heat is definitely in the air, giving rise to plenty of shorts as well as short-sleeved shirts and plain tees or sweatshirt-style tops

Colour: Classic navy and white, bright red with royal blue, sandy and sunbleached neutrals and a palette of soft earthen browns

Fabric & knit: Lightweight summer suiting, silk mohair, triple bonded silks, cashmere and vicuna wools, cotton and cotton canvas, sweatshirting, jersey, chequerboard knits in raffia, zigzag stitch knit, crocodile and alligator leathers, suede, brushed-backed chevron cashmere knits

Print & pattern: A rowing-inspired red and blue V-shaped logo, pyjama stripes, ink spots, house Damier checks reinterpreted in bright red and blue inspired by the colours of the Masai

Details & trims: Patterened quilting, notched lapels, safari pockets, drawstrings, VVN leather zip pulls, VVN leather harnessing

Footwear: Chestnut brown or tan polished leather oxfords, popper-studded leather sandals, sporty activewear-inspired sandals, two-tone desert boots

Accessories: Open-topped leather shoppers, across-body binoculars case bags, sporty backpacks, quilted weekend bags; rolled neckerchiefs, large fringed cashmere scarves, short cord necklaces featuring mother of pearl inlaid beetle pendants, knitted club ties, a 24-carat-gold thread shot tie, piped-frame sunglasses

Jean Paul Gaultier

Much hullabaloo is often made of Jean Paul Gaultier's costumic themes – we had James Blond last season - but for spring/summer 2012 Gaultier was bereft of an obvious theme. Without his punks or pirates, his collection felt all at sea in a hotch potch of looks.

The look: Anything goes

Silhouette: Tailored and layered

Key items: Tailoring is always a key component for JPG, and here he offers trompe l’oeil-effect three-piece suits comprising of tailored jackets and all-in-one waistcoats (US: vest) and trousers; evening suits are deconstructed and see tux jackets paired with coloured pants or shorts in aloha floral prints. Elsewhere suit trousers are largely full and pleat-fronted and waistcoats feature scalloped lace trims. Outerwear including jean jackets, baseball jackets and signature trench coats, arrive in tartan-printed organza and revealed printed shirts beneath. Elsewhere there are kilt-pleated shorts as well as straight-leg options, striped knit vests (US: tanks) and polo tops

Colour: While there is no cohesive colour palette, pops of royal blue, kingfisher blue and tomato red enlivened the wealth of black, navy, grey and tartan blue-green

Fabric & knit: Satin, raw indigo denim, python skin, leather, tartan, printed organza, cotton, micro houndstooth, pinstripe suiting

Print & pattern: Retro Hawaiian landscapes/postcard prints, aloha florals, signature sailor stripes, small-scale florals for shirting, tartan, an all-over repeat of Rue Saint-Martin road signs

Details & trims: Multiple pockets, scalloped-edge lace trims, rhinestones, notched lapels

Footwear: Printed hi-tops, lace-up plimsolls, suede loafers, pointed satin evening shoes

Accessories: Skinny ties, cummerbunds, tartan or striped socks, fringed tartan scarves

Viktor & Rolf Monsieur

                          

Spring/summer 2012 took on a sunny aspect at Viktor & Rolf, who moved away from their signature conceptual looks to present a collection of neat 70s-inspired resortwear based around a Mediterranean palette, with some offbeat fabric mixes and playful dolphin motifs.

“This spring/summer 2012 Monsieur reflects a new age mood. He remains the same creative man - the sexy intellect - whose wardrobe is an authentic mix of formal and informal. Our Monsieur is on a mystical and spiritual journey and is attracted to magical symbols and serene shades. He's investigating boundaries, but within his own world,” said Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren.

The look: Summer vacation

Silhouette: Neat tailored resortwear

Key items: The collection emphasises a casual formal mix, with sharp peaked lapel 70s-style SBs and classic 70s pant shapes teamed with printed half-sleeved resort shirts and patterned polos in a mismatched palette and lightweight fabric mixes. Casual pants have a sporty appeal, with drawstring waists or a cut-off denim waistband, perfect to layer with a crisp white 4-pocket Harrington hybrid or even the design duo's unexpected lace shirt. The trench and the western jacket offer diverse outerwear options, fabric-blocked in toning shades of blue suede and denim and for evening, crisp tuxedos and bow ties offset with the incongruous mix of minimal sandals and socks

Colour: A summery palette reflecting the colours of Mediterranean resorts with washed sky blue, deep ultramarine and indigo complemented with old gold, Dijon, soft lemon, brick and warm terracotta, pebble grey, soft sage and bois de rose

Fabric & print: Mohair suiting, nylon twill, pressed cotton, chambray, denim, suede, jersey, summer checks, lace, silk, cotton shirtweights

Print & pattern: Playful dolphin intarsias and regular repeat all-over dolphin motifs worked on half-sleeve shirts or polos. Spots on a white ground, horizontal toning stripes

Details & trims: Cut-off denim waistbands on pants, drawstring waist pants, elongated plackets on polos, fabric-blocking, sharp peaked lapels

Footwear: Cleat-soled white boots, minimal X-strap sandals, piped loafers, snakeskin derby

Accessories: Straight top sunglasses with built-up bridge, socks

Yohji Yamamoto

A stellar showing from Yohji Yamamoto, who played with volume and subtle Japonesque workwear influences for a serene collection with a timeless aesthetic that spoke of a gentler bygone era.

The look: Ethnic workwear

Silhouette: Layered volume worked in trapeze-like shapes

Key items: Yamamoto's signature overscaled jackets come with patchwork backs this season, layered over easy tunic shirts, some with collarless details others with military pockets or worn belted to become a jacket hybrid. The focus of the collection comes in the form of wide-legged pants and culottes – often pleated or constructed like soft chaps to layer over wide-legged pants or slim-cuffed trousers. Mismatched pattern play adds to the layered feel along with easy duster coats, shrug-on cardigan jackets and elongated placket Henleys

Colour: Unexpected pops of brights highlight a palette of traditional darks based aound black and indigo, damson, espresso and charcoal punctuated with parrot green, cerulean blue, candy pink, poppy and mint with soft sage and sand bringing in an subtle earthy feel

Fabric & knit: Natural cottons and linen, washed finishes, silk, jersey

Print & pattern: There is a traditional ethnic feel in the subtle mismatched prints, with precise block patterns contrasted with random all-overs, micro florals and pin-prick markings like vintage batiks

Footwear: Plimsolls, flat lace-ups, work boots

Accessories: Unstructured trilbies, soft caps, scarf-like belts, narrow leather belts, striped ties

Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake may be in a state of transition following the departure of Creative Director, Dai Fujiwara, but that didn’t stop the design team from pulling off a strong collection for spring/summer, full of easy Asian-referenced silhouettes, vivid colour and bold prints.

The look: Modern ethnic

Silhouette: Relaxed Asian-inspired and unstructured

Key items: Unstructured duster coats and relaxed SBs provide the perfect team mates for easy wide-cropped pants cut with soft volume, a key look mirrored in boxy shirt jackets and oversized half-sleeve shirts. Diffused panels of vivid colour add interest to crisp white shirts, bringing a subtle ethnic look into play along with the almost ikat-like stripes used on dark suitings and the drapey sarouel hybrids. Other key items evolve around layering pieces like the unstructured neck knits, simple tank tees and neat buttoned waistcoats

Colour: Soft neutrals like bone white, string and sand tempered a range of vivid blues from ultramarine to aqua and peacock with flashes of sky blue, chrome yellow and espresso

Fabric & knit: Washed cotton, linen, silk, summer checks, marld knits and jersey, striped knits

Print & pattern: An exaggerated diagonal wave-like tie-dye effect stripe, diffused colour-block panels, ikat-like weaves, striped knits

Details & trims: Drawstring hems on soft pants

Footwear: Strappy sandals, vivid-coloured lace-ups with contrast laced detail

Accessories: Small-brimmed woven trilbies

Rick Owens

A stunningly simple look from Rick Owens. He took the current mood for androgyny to the max by reinterpreting wardrobe basics - like the dress, skirt, toga and tunic - into a gender-blend asexual collection of geometrical layered pieces that crossed the traditional male-female divide.

The look: Androgyny

Silhouette: Long and draped or multi-layered

Key items: The tailored SB gets a makeover in elongated proportions, with frock coat hems and an inset panelled revers to layer over the simplest A-line floor-skimming dresses and straight-cut maxiskirts with a back split hem. Long tunic tops and tunic knits complete the look, worked with funnel necklines, engineered gradated stripe placements or a vertical band of printed linear motifs. Toga-like drapes add soft volume to the look, creating an alternative dress hybrid, while skinny leggings and a slim padded coat silhouette had a more masculine appeal

Colour: A monastic palette that revokes colour in flavour of asexual black, white, charcoal, pebble, string, sand and a hint of ink

Fabric & knit: Flat suitings, melanged and slubbed effects, sheened mohair suitings, papery cotton, cotton, lightly padded effects, raw silk, silk shantung, jersey, compact knits

Print & pattern: Gradated vertical panelled stripes, abstract angular grid lines in white on black

Details & trims: Soft ruched unstructured hemlines, triangular cowls on cotton tunic shirts

Footwear: Unlaced military boots in black or grey

Accessories: Neckerchiefs, dark sunglasses with a straight-cut built-up bridge

Alexis Mabille

For spring/summer 2012, Alexis Mabille unveiled a new collaboration with intimates label Hom. as models peeled off their clothes to reveal the goods. The apparel collection riffed on the perennial nautical story, with sailor stripes and chain motifs adding an on-trend touch with sporty influences.

The look: Sporty nautical

Silhouette: Athletic and top heavy

Key items: As part of the collaboration with Hom, Mabille offers a new range of underwear and swimwear, including briefs, short boxers and mankinis, as well as V-necked tees, striped socks, hooded dressing gowns in satin or waffle cotton, and jersey track pants tapered to a skinny ankle cuff. For the main collection bottomweights include slim-fitting cargo pants, some cuffed at the knee as long shorts, wide pleat-front shorts and straight-cut tailored pants; tops are sporty, with oversized sweatshirts, a zippered baseball jacket/track top hybrid, bibbed granddad tees or vests, and hooded shirts – some with drawstring waists; tailoring is largely slim-fitting comprising 1SB jackets and those straight-leg pants, while outerwear highlights offered a belted mac and trench coat, and a grey marl jersey pea coat with striped revers and low-placed DB buttons

Colour: Grey, black, white and navy

Fabric & knit: Jersey - bonded, cotton, silk, Lycra stretch; grey chambray, linen, cotton, gingham, checked shirting cottons, satin, ciré, waffle cotton

Print & pattern: Typographical slogans, trompe l'oeil chain, Breton stripes in varying scale and placements

Details & trims: Contrast revers, white shirt collars and cuffs, bib-fronts, striped edging trims, cargo pockets, V-necks, drawstrings, feature stitching at the knee, low placement DB buttoning, hoods

Footwear: Jute trimmed canvas espadrilles

Accessories: Bandana scarves worn around the wrist, large link chain bracelets; across-body chain-strapped mini bags, canvas shoppers with knotted rope handles; animal print belts

Dries Van Noten

Other designers may be touting rock 'n' roll looks or carefree resort dressing for spring/summer 2012, but Dries Van Noten was preoccupied with the funtionality of outdoor clothing for next season – specifically waterproof clothing for men who spend their time hunting, shooting and fishing.

The look: Protective

Silhouette: Covered-up and functional tempered with lean tailoring

Key items: Outerwear is the focus of this collection, with variations on a theme for functional parkas, anoraks and zipped-through cabans all worked with a multitude of pocket details, contrast bound trims, drawstrings and funnel necklines. Layering is another key theme, with wide-legged shorts worked over straight-cut pants or leggings, crisp white shirt tails peeping from the hemlines of parkas or tailored jackets. Tailoring is slick and lean worked in sheened fabrications with 6DB jackets and low-slung pleat front tapered pants, while easy tunic knits come in dry-handle textured yarns and a profusion of stripes add a touch of pattern play for casual shirts and pants 

Colour: A palette of intense summer darks confirm midnight blue and deep aubergine as key colours for next summer, here offset with espresso and sand with vivid accents of industrial orange and chrome yellow

Fabric & knit: Technical nylons and coated fabrics are the order of the day contrasted with silks and fluid satins, crisp cottons or rustic linen-like textures, sometimes in one garment as in fabric-blocked ciré with linen effects. Knits add texture with dry-handle yarns in plains and stripes

Print & pattern: Stripes worked as panel details or as all-overs

Adam Kimmel

Adam Kimmel’s spring/summer collection may not have been groundbreaking in terms of setting trends or defining conceptual new aesthetics, but where this designer scores is that he produces clothes men will actually want to wear.

The look: Rugged and sporty

Silhouette: Lean but fluid casual/formal layers

Key items: Sporty outerwear is always a strong look from this designer and for summer 2012, parkas, a waxed cotton caban and rugged blousons come layered over simple zipped-through jackets and tops, to team with boyish knee-length shorts or slouchy zipped hem pleat-front pants. Zips are a recurring theme, trimming leather colour-blocked Harringtons, splicing the neck of a striped polo top or tracing the front of an easy all-in-one, while sheened suitings bring a slick look to SB tailoring. Half-sleeved resort shirts provide the blank canvas for overdyed florals or a micro skateboarder print,  soft fine-gauge knits come with the playful contrast of coloured welt trims, while a basic T-shirt gets a fashion makeover with a rainbow-coloured psychedelic logo

Colour: Black, midnight, espresso, mole, taupe and bone white with old gold and poppy highlights

Fabric  & knit: Waxed cotton, nylon, leather, drill, silky shantung effects, two-tone mohair suitings, melanged fine-gauge knits, jersey, washed linen and cotton.

Print & pattern: A grid-like pattern on dark grounds, fleck-like all-over motifs in black and white with a micro skateboarder motif, overdyed floral

Details & trims: White exposed zips, contrast welts, contrast hoods

Footwear: Work boots, simple canvas slip-on deck shoes

Accessories: Mirrored eyewear, colourful printed scarves

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Live From... Paris Fashion Week, Day 3

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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