Viktor & Rolf Backstage Beauty Paris SS2011

Backstage at a fashion show, that’s were the magic happens. We were backstage at the Viktor & Rolf show this week and witnessed how normal girls were turned into catwalk goddesses. Check out our picture gallery to see Karlie Kloss, Patricia van der Vliet , Abbey Lee Kershaw and others get their hair and make-up done.

Stella McCartney Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Stella McCartney show, held in the beautiful Opéra Garnier, didn’t pass unnoticed. With her father Paul McCartney turning up, as well as actrice Salma Hayek, Liv Tyler and singer Beth Ditto it caused quite a stir. Paparazzi and street photogs were fighting for the best shot in front of the theater and inside all camera’s were pointed at them.

Yet celebs maybe assure being mentioned in the press, the clothes of course have to tell the right story. And today they did. Stella, who dedicated the show to her family, friends and fantastic team, first sent out several fresh pastel looks. The silhouettes were masculine, yet the colors (rose pistachio, fresh bergamot, lavender, wilde blue and yellow sorbet) made it soft again.

Stella’s trousers were highwaisted and cropped, her jackets were straight cut and had cigarette sleeves. They were paired with buttoned up polos.

Halfway the collection Stella showed some oversized denim outfits with a clean cut. Right after that long silk gowns with very high slits followed each other. Though they were pretty revealing they stayed elegant.

The show ended with a splash of citrus. Gorgeous colored citrus fruit prints covered dresses, skirts, collars and jackets. They looked like the perfect alternative for the often used floral print. Plus fruit prints might become a hit next summer. Prada and Moschino cheap and chic both already showed fruit prints (bananas and lemons, respectively) in their collection.

Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The Givenchy collection Riccardo Tisci presented on Sunday was a tough one. There were some daring outfits there, which made us think ‘dark’, ‘punk’ and ‘techno’.

Tisci used photographer Robert Mapplethorpe as his inspiration, which explains all the black and white we saw. There were a lot of sleeveless statement jackets, all matched with long sheer black pieces of fabric. The punk feeling came from the many zippers (across waistlines, sleeves and pants) Tisci used.

Lea T, the transsexual model. which over the past few months caused some commotion, being in the Givenchy ads and all, was there too. She walked the show alongside many new faces like Saskia de Brauw and Pauline Van der Cruysse.

Something we didn’t expect to see at Givenchy was the leopard print. After some years full of animal printed fashion the leopard print was finally on its return, yet now it seems Tisci brought it back to life. The Givenchy customer probably won’t mind. She’s bound to love every single look of this collection.

John Galliano Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Attending the John Galliano show this Sunday felt like going to a theater. Once again the designer used every opportunity to wow us. First of all a beautifully led golden backdrop, but also hats, wigs, eccentric make-up and large painting frames. Not to mention the models who were each playing their own individual character during the show. There’s was so much going on, we’d almost forget we were supposed to look at the designs.

And they deserved some attention too. John Galliano combined thick leather coats with delicate sheer nude skirts and dresses. In fact there were a lot of jackets, most of them worn with a clashing scarf tied around it.

Colorful designs had butterflies and flower prints on them. A model carrying a wooden umbrella seemed to stress the eastern twist of some of these looks.

The color palette changed from nudes to pink, blue, turquoise and red. The finale was a parade of floor-sweeping ivory gowns. Every single one looked perfectly handcrafted and had some very nice silver embroideries on it.

It was a spectacular show with a very pleasant vibe. Yet maybe the fashion part got a little overshadowed by the whole theater Galliano had set up. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it.

Céline Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

We spotted lots of minimalistic, leather camel-and black colored outfits in the audience at Céline. The ultimate proof that Phoebe Philo’s collection of last season was a big hit. And after what we’ve seen today, we’re quite certain this new spring collection will do just as well as the last one.

Philo again opted for a minimalistic approach; clean cuts, wide sleeves and long tuxedo pants. All with a masculine touch. In between a lot of white looks were some strong-colored outfits. First denim-like blue linen and then a slightly brighter blue combined with Burgundy leather.

New were the thank tops with zip-details, the extremely low V-necks and a few graphic colored prints. Overall: a perfect summery variant to the collection we saw half a year ago.

Cacharel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

Sweet bubblegum colors and papery fabrics gave the Cacharel-collection a young and sporty energy. The prints were innovative: blurred florals and blotches in neon-shades gave it all an otherworldly edge.

Haider Ackermann Catwalk Fashion Show SS2011

Everytime you see a collection of Haider Ackerman you are wondering how it is possible he can make leather look so sensual, elegant and modern. The black motorcycle jacket seemed his startingpoint and like a wizard he turned it into halters and vests with curls and bows and he let clash with large kimono jackets worn off the shoulder. He mixed it with black suede trousers – low and tight- or long pleated evening skirts.

Long narrow skirts and black jersey dresses and tops were held in place by just a few cords. Shoulders were small and razor-shape. And his signature cropped jackets were finished off in back with heart-shaped bows.

The color-palette was strong with royal reds and blues and a shot of yellow. The colors were shown in gowns bearing dramatic cutouts at the hip and spaghettistraps, or were an accent on lapels and linings, flashing out from a black jackets rolled sleeves. The overall effect was dramatic and modern. No wonder the audience cheered ecstatic.

Backdrop of Viktor & Rolf made by fashion illustrator Piet Paris

For the spring/summer fashion show of Viktor & Rolf fashion illustrator Piet Paris created a wonderful backdrop. The colorful and fashionable illustration looked fantastic and everyone really seemed to love it.

Viktor & Rolf approached Piet Paris, who was their teacher in art school before, for this project, because they love his work. They gave him a short briefing and let Piet Paris fill in the rest of the picture.

So far Piet Paris has worked for big international clients like Vogue, Harpers Bazar, W Magazine and Saks Fifth Avenue. And we think it’s absolutely great that he and Viktor & Rolf worked together on this. It once again proves how much talent we have in the Netherlands.

On 14 October Piet Paris will launch his own book, which will cover his best illustrations from the past twenty years. On that same day he will present a stamp he designed. Backstage at Viktor & Rolf Piet Paris said: ‘I started this year by designing my own small stamp and it’s funny that it seems like it ends with an enormous backdrop of 18 by 6 meters.’

Jean Paul Gaultier Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

The summer collection of Jean Paul Gaultier wasn’t the best we’ve seen so far, yet it was clear JPG himself had a great time working on it. Like at his last menswear fashion show he designed several 3D items which the audience could watch through their 3D glasses.

And if you think 3D-fashion is strange; the rest of the collection was just as crazy. Singer of the band Gossip, the curvaceous Beth Ditto, opened the show. But she wasn’t the only ‘fuller model’. JPG hired several other plus-size models for his show. Although you can hardly call Crystal Renn that nowadays.

The girls all had wigs on, the kind that reminded us of David Bowie’s hair back in the late sixties. Their hairdos in a way matched the tough leather jackets, lace up boots, sheer lace, denim suits, printed tights and leather shorts.

Red patent leather formed quite a contrast with the softer leaf and floral prints, but so did the red & white and blue & white stripes JPG never misses in his collections.

Another trademark you’ll always see in his shows: his famous cone bra corsets, which were just as pointy as the shoulders on some of the jackets.

Beth Ditto’s closing performance made the show unforgettably entertaining, yet we were not fully convinced by JPG’s new summer wardrobe.

Comme des Garçons Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2011

For spring/summer Rei Kawakubo decided to turn her clothes upside down. Quite unexpected, yet it turned out alright. The models wore many different jackets at once, which according to Kawakubo had everything to do with the multiple personalities theme of the show.

Jackets and coats in black, grey and white were the key items of the show. Kawakubo used lots of black leather and added corset-details, hair nets and multiple belts to her looks.

Some models carried so many clothes at least three models could be dressed in them. And at the end of the show pairs of models were dressed in clothes which actcually left room for a third person in the middle. It all was part of Kawakubo’s multiple personality-inspiration.

A daring collection, but that’s probably what makes Comme des Garçons such so successful.

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