PARIS FASHION WEEK SS20 BULLETIN
The prestige of Paris Fashion Week has never been more prominent. This season has seen an unusually high level of creativity, provocation, fun and fetishism, despite political unrest, environmental crisis and economic uncertainty.
Explore the whimsical side of fashion with this recap of moments you can't miss:
BALENCIAGA CREATES FASHION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.
With a masterly staging, a casting with personality and variety and an even more unexpected and illuminating ending, Creative Director Gvasalia has reflected what he sees on the street and that includes social-media trends. What separates him from the common is that he wraps his designs in impossible and exaggerated forms that qualify him, in capital letters, as FASHION.
ISSEY MIYAKE'S NEW COURSE.
Satoshi Kondo - a close collaborator of Issey Miyake - debuted with his first collection following Yoshiyuki Miyamae. Body and movement are their DNA staples so they played with them, emphasizing the fluidity of the silhouette while still keeping the Miyake aesthetic solid.
“I wanted to express my feeling of joy, and I want this to become the trademark for my collections”
YOHJI YAMAMOTO HIDDEN MESSAGE.
The impossible construction seen on the catwalk of Yohji Yamamoto was a statement regarding the state of the environment: the cuts, slashes, and holes on the garments were an artistic way for him to convey a message about global warming.
Julius Juul and Victor Juul presented a virtual runway influenced by a high level of experimentalism and an exceptional quality that improves each season.
MAISON MARGIELA’S WINS THE MILLENNIAL WORLD WAR.
John Galliano - as Creative Director - elaborated the codes of the 40s with a perverse and digitalized twist. Assembling and disassembling the wardrobe staples from Tarantino-style “Inglourious Basterds” and the Second World War years.
RICK OWENS AZTEC ALIENS.
Rick Owens incredible capacity to create a dream from the most different of sources is unbelievable. Exploring his Mexican-ness with Aztec reminiscences, Owens elaborated pieces aim to mix traditions, such as the china poblana embroideries or the techno tunics with pointed shoulders that turned the models into alien priestesses of an unknown credo in which we all trust.
LANVIN. A FRESH PERSPECTIVE.
Bruno Sialelli’s - as new Creative Director - brought a refreshed elegance inspired and revisited by the 50s and 60s, giving a sense of jollity that we all need.
PACO RABANNE EXPLORES POP CULTURE.
Julien Dossena at Paco Rabanne, explored the unexpected funny side of pop.
“I wanted to explore a part of this world I never went in. I took the French Seventies of Françoise Hardy, along with the movies of those days, and I turned it into a funny and colourful world.”
MCQUEEN RECONNECTS WITH THE ROOTS
The collection was almost all about linen. They went back to the old techniques so the production chain was simple and really sustainable, resulting in a dramatic romance followed by a beautiful and meaningful research related to fabrics and traditions.
“I felt the need to slow down and enjoy the little things, taking back the little beautiful moments that we are missing with the speed of our daily routine”
SAINT LAURENT KEEPS IT TRADITIONAL.
Under the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent proposed a stunning open air, all-black set up with dozens of whirling lights pointed to the sky. Anthony Vaccarello, Creative Director of the French Maison, is finally finding his own way delivering a beautiful collection (though a bit repetitive) full of Saint Laurent.
Y/PROJECT. CLASSIC-NOT-SO-CLASSIC.
With his own aesthetic language, optical illusions accentuate the woman’ silhouettes and versatility as a means of individual expression, takes over.
LOEWE'S NEW TRADITION.
Jonathan Anderson has highlighted the different handcrafted excellences, at the same time that you have combined them to create a new tradition to show, injecting softly a Spanish touch without being too literal.
AFTER FEMINISM, DIOR GOES INTO SUSTAINABILITY.
At a time when the fashion industry is under more scrutiny than ever, Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri was wise to create a collection inspired by the natural world.
DRIES VAN NOTEN TEAMS UP WITH MONSIEUR LACROIX.
A very unique event where two talented and creative minds worked together to design one collection. It was very clear on the catwalk that the Dries Van Noten design was just as fully present as that of Monsieur Lacroix, not just a simple mixing of styles.
MARINE SERRE. THE APOCALYPSE IS ALREADY HERE.
Committed to sustainable production, Serre focused on up-cycling for her latest collection (she reuses second-hand clothes in her collections) and continued her exploration of a highly-protective wardrobe designed to resist any end-day scenario.
MUGLER'S SUPER SEDUCTIVE AND TWISTED GLAMOUR.
The Mugler collection by Casey Cadwallader was, above all, an analysis of the full spectrum and beauty of the body’s shapes, then of the clothing. All the sizes, genders, styles and ages showed off during the catwalk and set everyone free from their daily uniforms.
OFF-WHITE'S IRRATIONALITY.
Inspired by the chaotic nature and beauty of meteor showers, Abloh presented its first women's collection in the fashion capital. Although he's a great sampler of ideas and visions, her collection lacked rational aesthetics. We do not live in the era of coherence, but a collection must be to deserve this name.
BALMAIN'S PUZZLE.
Olivier Rousteing stepped into the Sixties with a series of optical decorations. The young designer infused his touch in a very strong way, a skill which has become famous worldwide.
THE LOUIS VUITTON GIRL BRINGS A MODERN EDGE.
Nicolas Ghesquière imagined a modern Belle Époque that seemed to exist in an imaginary future, recreating a new high society related to the revolutionary years in which we are living, which celebrated the enthusiasm of each individual’s unique character.
LACOSTE GETS CARRIED AWAY.
With sporty yet sophisticated looks, Creative Director Louise Trotter pushed more towards mixing heritage and modernity.
SACAI. ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE.
Abe is part of the second generation of Japanese designers that are taking their modern designs around the world. With a Funkadelic nostalgia, in his designs also came a message of unity and brotherhood as a reaction to the difficult world in which we are living.
CHANEL. “MARIE S’INFILTRE”.
Replacing Lagerfeld isn’t an easy job, but Virginie Viard is trying to inject a sense of freshness that was missing in the past. However, all eyes went to the comedian who crashed the runway at Paris Fashion Week and was kicked out by Gigi Hadid's.
HERMÊS REFUSE TO BECOME A SLAVE TO FASHION TRENDS.
Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski - the brand's Creative Director - presented an unexpected femininity that gave even more lightness to the collection. Fresh, sophisticated and artisanal.
VALENTINO'S FANTASY FORMULA.
Pierpaolo Piccioli pursues the extraordinary until it's trapped forever. The designer has a proven track record for making flounce and feathers seem less rarefied and more real.
GIVENCHY. ROMANCE VS TOUGHNESS.
As a mentality to design this collection, Clare Waight Keller, consolidated that empowerment is not only revealing, jumping back and forth from the bourgeoisie to the masculine.
COMMES DES GARÇONS TURNS STAGE COSTUMES INTO BREATHTAKING DESIGNS.
From Elizabethan era to the future. Kawakubo-san presented a groundbreaking clothing set with unexpected and over-decorated silhouettes, reinventing and turning upside down shapes and proportions.
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OTTOLINGER DRESSES THE MILLENNIAL WOMEN.
Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient presented a collection any millennial woman wouldn’t mind being caught in.
