Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #26

Alexander McQueen Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

It was an extra-ordinairy Alexander McQueenshow, streamed live onto the Internet. Nick Knight was the director of this presenation – called Plato’s Atlantis – and did a great job. The staging was impressive: two cameras mounted on rolling cranes in the middle of a sparkling white, bio-lab runway. On a screen in the backround, the models were projected, with the cranes being part of the image. It looked like another planet.

Inspiriation for this dazzling collection came from Darwin, the natural world, underwater aliens and technology. In a pressrelease the designer explained he was casting an apocalyptic forecast of the future ecological meltdwon of the world. We may be heading back to an underwater future as the ice cap dissolves. McQueens fantasy goes beyond borders . The dresses were molded and shaped, had engineered (reptile)prints and jacquards and came in breathtaking whorls of colors (greens, browns, aqua and blue). The platform-shoes were alienating. In a section in which it looked as if McQueen was envisaging a biological hybridization of women with sea mammals, there were trousers whose bulbous flanks mimicked the skin of sharks or dolphins. Some dresses and tops looked like large bubbles of water.

The way McQueen is embracing new computer technologies and the drama of the moving image puts him at the leading edge of change.

Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

For their new Valentino collection we heard Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli wanted to tell a new fairy tale. And so they did. They presented a gorgeous feminine collection. The show kicked off with strapless partydresses which were elegant and playful at the same time. Huge bows were placed on these dresses. The designs came in light shades of grey, gold and lavender. They were made of light materials like organza, tulle and chiffon. If you want to go out in these designs you’d have to act very careful not to tear anything. You also must not be afraid to show some body parts: even the pants were transparent. Some chic evening gowns had ruffles and prints of honeycomb mixed with flowers. Big silver bracelets and shoes with feathers and laces at the back were worn with them. This collection proved that Chiuri and Picciolo are able to do what it has always been about for Valentino: making women feel beautiful. (Tess van Daelen)

Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #25

Chloe Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

With Hannah MacGibbon’s ss2010 collection for Chloé it was hard to get an idea to what occasion you should wear the clothes. There were suits you wouldn’t put on for a day at the office. And the nice detailed long coats and ponchos looked too hot for spring. Like in Chloé’s last collection the jackets were very masculine. The blouses were straight with no waist and buttoned all the way to the top. They also had a little bit of a dull sleeve length. Fortunately several ponchos, skirts and sweaters had feminine details like a silky or leather edging. Between all the neutral shades an oversized yellow ochre A-line coat looked just about perfect. Out of the blue came an unflattering denim outfit. During the show’s finale some floaty white dresses made up for all the stiffness in the collection. Their multiple layers danced in the air with every step. (Tess van Daelen)

Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #24

Chanel Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

As soon as the audience noticed the stage at Chanel – a barn and a haysteck were Lily Allen performed – it knew what the Chanel-show would be about. Ultrachique farmergirls in playful dresses, swirling skirts and tough jeans wearing Chanel-clogs and scarves around their head. Colors were classic-Chanel: white, marine, red and pastelshades of pink. The famous Chanel tweed was woven as there were little pieces of hay sticking out, the jeans looked old and repaired, some dresses seemed handknitted. This was a very cheerful Chanel-collection, young and upbeat and far away from the classic two-piece suit.

Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #23

Paris Fashion Week ss2010 Impressions #22

Yves St. Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show ss2010

The YSL collection was about  the urge looking for “a natural and honest chic, an aesthetic paradigm of new minimalism”, according to the program-notes.  That means a stark, monochrome pencil-skirted suit and an austere tuxedo. Or a pair of conceptual lederhosen and a romantic, strawberry-scattered dress. The YSL collection of Stefano Pilati had two sides: seventies peasant-influences and a more modern city-look with linen dresses and belted pantsuits. There were lots of ideas and great looking clothes but it never became cohesive. The consumer probably doesn’t care, as long as she finds wearable clothes. And she will.

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