Givenchy Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

A woman, a Swiss, a photographer, a writer, a traveler, who lived a century ago formed the inspiration to Clare Waight Keller’s new Givenchy collection. This woman, Annemarie Schwarzenbach, who mostly dressed and behaved like a man lead up to a the menswear and womenswear sections at Givenchy being drawn closer together. If the Givenchy woman of a few seasons ago screamed sex, for next year she’s much more tamed. She wears high wasted pants and a camel colored shirt with epaulets. She wears belted double breasted jackets. She sports workwear pants and her dresses are quite straight and covered up. But even though she wears an awful lot of fabric (and rocks a pixie haircut), as Veerle Klok rocked that asymmetric yellow/white plisse gown, she still looks sensual from head to toe. Shoulders were even bare of covered up by a cape meets shoulder rug piece. A few sparkly sequined ones were the accessories of the finale filled with evening pieces and added an extra dose of femineity to the collection. Highlights in the menswear section were a safari inspired combination worn by Pascal Wilke, a perfectly tailored purple suit sported by Jonas Gloer and a sleeveless leather fit Louis rocked halfway the show. Talking about statement looks..

Balenciaga Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

Forget the basic idea of a runway show; straightforward, clean, with nothing else to focus on than the clothes. For Balenciaga Demna Gvasalia decided to do a completely different version of that. “I always had this idea of a video tunnel, like being inside someone’s digital mind,” he said. It was as if he transported us to a different dimension, a Balenciaga tunnel in which his eighties inspired looks followed up on each other. Strong shoulders, bright colors. Dark pants or leggings and boxy tops (An extremely boxy red menswear coat could’ve come straight out of Kanye’s latest video). Oversized suits for the guys, large structured dresses for the girls. Joggers, printed shirts, indigo denim, oversized leather jackets, flute sleeve party dresses and pinstripe looks. Lots of logo’s at display. Had we just traveled back in time or was this Gvasalia’s take on the fashion of the future? I guess the new silhouette gave it away. This was the designers vision on what we’ll be wearing the upcoming years. And given the success of his recent collection we don’t dare to argue.

Valentino Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

Kristen McMenamy kicked off the Valentino show in a voluminous black off shoulder caftan. She looked good, no doubt, but that black look and all that fabrics were in no way a forecast of what was about to happen later on in the show. After a selection of all black looks in all kinds of shapes, sizes and fabrics, which was ended with a black dress and an enormous feathered hat, Pierpaolo Piccioli introduced a few looks in white, black and white and he sent out two girls with an enormous Valentino V logo printed on their chests. Then the show really kicked off white shades of orange, pink and Valentino red. On came the prints, the most gorgeous floral inspired mirrored prints in the most perfect SS2019 palettes (purple, green and yellow) which came back in the color of the models eyeshadow. A sequined dress worn by Britt Ensink with purple fur on the sleeves simply was the star of the show. Pockets in dresses added an effortless touch. Gold colored chunky earrings and furry footwear put the picture together. And even more so than usual this was a parade of dreamy, dazzling dresses that could’ve just stepped out of a fairy tale. Now name one woman who wouldn’t want to step out in one of these pieces of art.

Comme des Garcons Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

Just 30 looks formed Rei Kawakubo’s latest Comme des Garcons collection. Structured, deconstructed and tied up outfits that looked rather disturbing the longer you looked at them. The white wigs, the chains, the pregnant bellies (a few of them cracked open like cartoon eggs). Prints came in the form of red rose and the Comme des Garcon logo print. Combined with the heavy woolen suits and coats this was hardly a spring/summer collection. But then again does Kawakubo ever really keep the seasons in mind? She doesn’t even design clothes with the sole purpose of them being wearable or worn. Yet she did do something different here. With Tom Waits from the speakers we all felt Kawakubo’s struggle, her “fumbling around the dark” as she put it herself. Tired of the idea of having to come up with something “new” every season the designer presented this “quiet, serene and internal” collection. A perfect mini show to break through old patterns.

Haider Ackermann Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

Unisex or should we say genderless fashion is probably one of the biggest overall trends this season. And it’s not just a trend like you’d want to wear ruffles or socks in sandals, it’s more like a movement, a new way of dressing. Haider Ackermann too sent out a bunch of looks that could be worn by the guys and the girls. It was actually just the one dress, worn by Fatou Jobe, that was truly a womenswear look. All the other designs could apply to anyone who might want to pick up on a certain style. Like the houndstooth trousers, the roomy blouses, the colored slim fit suits, the long printed jackets, the pajama like tops and robes. Black boots for the fresh faced guys and girls and no fuss in the shape of make-up, jewelry and accessories. Just the full focus on perfectly tailored clothes as part of a collection that felt fresh and casual.

Celine Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

It was hardly recognizable as a Celine show, but Hedi Slimane sure had us on the edges of our seats. His Paris La Nuit collection mostly felt like a line-up of clubnight outfits. Put all the models in one club and you’d have the best dressed crowd. The girls wore super short sparkly dresses, the guys sported skinny pants and cool jackets. It looked sexy, it felt young. But as young and hip as it looked Slimane didn’t go for the easy youngster formula of sneakers, joggers and hoodies. Instead he showed just how even the cool kids can pull of tailored looks without looking older than there age.
Even though their was a clear contrast between the menswear and the womenswear looks Hedi stated all menswear looks were unisex: “The entire wardrobe worn by the male models is unisex, and therefore will also be available for women.” Interesting..
The collection truly was filled with showstoppers and skimpy party outfits, yet it lacked Celine’s signature. This was a Slimane show that felt very much like any of the Saint Laurent shows of the past few seasons. It will sell very well, no doubt about it. Yet the Celine costumer who’s into beautifully made, well tailored, feminine, minimal, classic pieces will have to start shopping elsewhere.

Streetfashion PFW Womenswear SS2019, Day 06

What are you wearing during the fashionweeks? Your Off White-shoes, that Balenciaga-shirt or your latest Vetements-denim? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashionweeks we refresh our streetwear posts regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Paris Fashion Week – Womenswear SS2019.

Lemaire Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

The guys and girls on Lemaire’s runway looked confident and fresh in the designer’s monochrome looks. Everyday pieces with just the right edge and chicness. Like a chocolate brown colored pants and a shirt (menswear). Or the sand colored pants, shirts and coat, worn with a fanny pack and black leather boots (womenswear). Lots of monochrome layering, lots of fabric and straps around cuffs, waist and ankles gave the collection a utility touch. Black paint spatters formed a print on a few of the white looks. A pastel yellow dress/coat looked as desirable as it looked comfy. Lace-up details at calf length added a slight touch of sexiness to the everyday looks. For next season Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran might try to excite us just a little more. They need to convince us it’s Lemaire and only Leimaire who can hook us up with monochrome overalls, stains spot polka dot prints and lace up trousers.

Chloé Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

We haven’t seen this many prints at Chloé in a while. Especially the mix of multiple scarf prints which had an Etro touch to them, felt different. And apart from the prints the collection was high on accessories too. Like the statement sculptural earrings, the necklaces, the rings, the cuffs and the rope belts the wavy haired models wore. Gem stones attached to the clothes made up for true show stoppers too. Not to mention the bags (Chloé slagship), which seemed quite formal compared to the loose, effortless style of the clothing. The looks felt slightly hippie inspired. Rianne van Rompaey opened the show in a one shouldered satin dress with a flared sleeve and a hip belt with a long printed scarf (sarong inspired) attached to it. Marte Mei van Haaster sported loose printed pants, a printed cropped top and a beige colored bold blazer. Rebecca Leigh Longendyke sported a ceramic printed skirt with frayed ends and a logo T-shirt, which is rare for a brand like Chloé. A selection of delicate plisse numbers formed the finale of an effortless collection. And now just like Natacha Ramsay-Levi we want to book a trip to Ibiza or Morrocco, or both!

Off-White Catwalk Fashion Show Paris Womenswear SS2019

“Track and Field” is the name of Virgil Abloh’s latest Off-White collection. And it couldn’t have been more literal. The catwalk was a street transformed into a running track, a scoreboard above it displayed who was on the runway when as well as their countries of origin. Walking the show were not just familiar faces like Kaia and Kendall, but real athletes too. Like sprinter English Gardner (USA), heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson (UK) or high jumper Cecilia Yeung (HK). They sported Abloh’s famous athleisure looks. Looks which this time more than ever formed a bridge between two contradicting clothing styles. Outfit #19 being the ultimate mix of sports & dressed up; a T-shirt with Nike logo’s sported with a larger than life white and yellow tulle skirt.
Sports & Chic came out in a pair of denim shorts and a velvet top and a pair of velvet pants with a denim jacket. In black sport leggings paired with a long lace skirt on top of it. In white sport leggings with a long floor sweeping gown over it. In a suit jacket that had “OFF” printed onto it in neon letters. A few looks were really just sporty as the finale of snake prints looks wasn’t necessarily sporty nor chic. It did make a bold statement.
Footwear came in the shape of ballet inspired shoes and Abloh’s freshly designed Nike running shoes, the Waffle Racer which look more like a shoe sample.
With 48 looks it wasn’t an extremely big collection, but still it was a lot to take in.

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