Chanel Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

It was a poetic Chanel-show. Especially after the dark, gloomy autumn show half a year ago. Is Karl Lagerfeld looking at the bright side of life again? His imaginary underwater world surely made the audience forget there is a serious financial crisis going on in the real world.

Lagerfeld changed the typical commercial and somewhat safe Chanel-look into a sporty one, with silver shoes, conch-shaped heels, a stripped Chanel-suit where the chains were replaced by pearls and he introduced modern fabrics, like the transparent plastic jacket over a swimsuit. For evening there we light lacy and mesh dresses. It was amazing what he did with his element of inspiration, the pearl – one of the Chanel-icons. Not only the colors, also the way fabrics looked, the accessories, the make up.

Florence Welch was the guest-performer, hidden in a gigantic shell where she sang her siren-song. Mysterious and magical.

Yves Saint Laurent Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012

Hats off for Stefano Pilati, who managed to send out a full summer collection under the circumstances (the rumors about him being replaced by Raf Simons, that is).

And it didn’t even disappoint. Luxurious materials were used for clothes with couture-like volumes. The designs were distinctive, sophisticated and detailed, but never had too much going on.

Above the knee skirts and silk tops were decorated by large ruffles. Gorgeous halter necklines (on tops and dresses) popped up throughout the whole show. A simple idea, worked out perfectly.

Some beautiful busy prints were presented in between the color palette of aqua, blue, teal, white , black and purple. Looks were styled off with hip belts, golden hair accessories and show stopping shoes, which the audience just could not stop talking about.

So is Pilati really leaving YSL? It would be a loss to the brand, today’s show (which he nailed) sure proved that.

Emanuel Ungaro Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012

With the start of new chief designer Jeanne Labib-Lamour (29) Ungaro wiped out the bad memory of the last few collections (designed by Lindsay Lohan and Giles Deacon). The label made a fresh start with a more clear and controlled collection.

The first great thing she did, was introducing some amazing aqua-colored prints, inspired by aerial photos taken by NASA. They looked fresh, vivid and super glamorous and were used for comfy pants, luxurious blouses, bathing suits and frilly dresses.

Then there was attitude of the show; still sexy, but a far cry from those pasties we saw a few collections back with LaLohan. No extreme cleavages, no ultra-short skirts; every looks was well proportioned. The girls looked chic and sophisticated, even in the many fully sequined dresses at the end of the show.

Let’s just hope Labib-Lamour will stay around for a few seasons.

Chloe Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

That was a light-hearted and feminine first Chloe-collection of Clare Waight Keller. The British designer just came from Pringle of Scotland and made a big change crossing the Channel.

She said to the press she wanted ‘a sense of ease and femininity’ in her collection, and she succeeded. She even used elements Karl Lagerfeld introduced during his time at Chloe, not only the prints but also embroideries. Keller took the flower-prints and put them at the sides of white pants and shorts or all over a white blouse.

Pleats, a major trend in the European collections, were a key element and gave the collection an appealing attitude. The show opened with  long, flowing dresses, where the over-dyed pleats looked like sunrays. There were boyish elements too, like wide shorts and trousers, and sheer dresses shaped like dungarees and worn over a tunic.

First View Paris ss2012: Slits & Slices

A powerful design-feature this Paris season is the slit. Nothing makes a look that obviously 80’s inspired. Immediately it’s taken out of the reigning 50’s couture prettiness to create a more daring and slick appeal.

Cutout, slashed and sliced and sometimes pinned, wrapped and knotted back together again. Cut-outs unveil long lean legs as well as deep décolleté and hints of midriff. Jean Paul Gaultier plays with wide gathered volumes and wraps, folds, turns and twists these. Where Lanvin unveils in a more cool and understated manner, carefully exposing hints of skin in a subtle and sophisticated manner, Maison Martin Margiela shows more brutal constructions and deconstructions where Mugler goes futuristic and uses cuts and slashes for streamlined, organic and a more architectonic shaping and sculpting.

Sure that it adds movement and flare to silhouettes.

Stylespot is a collaborations with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

Giambattista Valli Catwalk Fashion Show Paris SS2012

It was as if we were watching a show full of angels as the Giambattista Valli models were all dressed in white and light-colored designs. As simple as the designs were, as creative were the fabric choices. The show opened with a fur-like material, followed by zebra-printed satin, white lace and shiny, silver embroidered fabric.

It weren’t quite the looks you’d wear to the mall. A fuzzy fringed zebra skirt with a zebra shiny top looked even a bit too much for a night out. And a candy colored fringed dress, looked like it belonged to some kind of circus act. But they sure looked like fun.

Besides, there were plenty of nice and wearable looks left. Mostly cute, princess like dresses adorned with brocade and Swarosvki crystals in shades like pink, ivory, yellow and metallic gold.

True Valli-fans will be thrilled to ad some of those looks to their summer 2012 wardrobe.

First View Paris ss2012: Couture Spirit

The clear read line through Paris catwalk shows is a couture spirit reminiscent of the fifties and sixties. One designer more then the other found ways to translate this precious era in a contemporary and new look. Finding a shared challenge in the search for new proportions yet clearly inspired by the rounded full shaping of that era. Materials where traditional and precious, yet some realised that typical sculptural aspect in novel manmade yet ever so luxurious fabrics. A, I and egg shaped, reduced and iconic, minimal use of details and executed in mostly black and white.

Going back to the archives was what most designers did. Céline created a masterful understated and reduced version and managed to shape couture within a desirable ‘Philo’ mould. Dries van Noten offered grand couture looks in pouf dresses and skirts, finding a way to update by combining these with print and sturdy biker jackets. Rick Owens shifts in all its striking understatement between pillar and egg. Where Balenciaga made the most modern translation by truly redefining couture’s contours. He turned urban wear into couture, so took another road to come to richness by giving city wear the haute treatment. Rochas, how else could it be, took it factual and dived fully into archives using silk duchesse and organza to show the full flavour and grandeur of the couture legacy.

Stylespot is a collaboration with Stijlinstituut Amsterdam

 

Stella McCartney Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

The collection Stella McCartney sent out this morning was a fusion of sportswear, femininity and comfort. Vitality, relax and baroque were the keywords. The last balanced out the collection, since one of the main motifs was curling embroideries that edged the scalloped hems of miniskirts and the lapels on blazers. This neo-Baroque element gave the collection,  which was divided into tank dresses and tailoring, an elegant touch.

The tankdresses were short and formfitting. They came in combinations of white, black and cobalt blue. McCartney’s signature men’s wear looked fresh in white bonded materials, a clean-lined baseball jacket will surely be a hit.

The second half of the show introduced mini-prints and paisleys, shown on tailored jumpsuits and men’s pyjama looks. The prints came back at  little dresses, sometimes with a shot of color or with mesh insets.

Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

His prints of flowers and barking dogs were all over streetfashion during the last fashionweeks, and Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy is surely held responsible for the fact that fashion moved into a print-loving direction. But after two seasons of prints and black, the designer took the undersea world as his inspiration.

Tisci expressed in his show notes a desire to explore “a more romantic side….The general attitude is softer.” So the powdery colors, undulating peplums and sheer fabrics were indeed unmistakably feminine.

The tailoring was strong, innovative and varied. Tightfitted jackets with jabots swayed like seaweed. Skirts had swooping hems or were scooped open.

Starting in white the monochromatic ensembles became glossier, more mermaidlike, with leather slashed into fish scales and head-to-toe silver sequins.

Hermès Catwalk Fashion Show Paris ss2012

For spring 2012 Christophe Lemaire combined the most beautiful silhouettes, colors and materials together in his Hermès looks. His RTW-collection was looked serene and comfortable. Long, loose tunics and caftans in cream and orange like shades set the mood for the show.

They were followed by fully buttoned blazers, tops with standing collars, printed and asymmetric dresses with kimono sleeves. Models wore those with headbands, scarfs, bold bangs, simple golden necklaces and gorgeous leather bags (of course!).

Sexy was not the right word for the collection, but the models sure as hell looked confident. And we see absolutely no reason for them not to do so. It was a perfect, slightly Asian-inspired, show with clothes women will actually be able to wear.

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