Paris
Fashion Week
Attention, attention
please:
This is the
final call for Chanel Airlines.
All passengers
are requested to report immediately
to terminal No. 5.
Paris Fashion Week
arrived this month with no turbulence or delays, and departed anything but
oh-la-lacluster. The international
style capital saw cyberpunk taken to virtual insanity, sets that came with
their own hashtags, bewildering monsters, Alice-in-Wonderland proportions, and,
predictably some classic lady-like designs that were superbly French.
But first, please
have your ticket and photo-ID ready for check-in.
Critics raved over the space-age details (check
the shoes!) that cast the classic Chanel suit into the future, and the at times
sheer, barely-there tops mixed with the expensive-looking, “over-materialed”
bottoms fit Chanel’s line into the Week’s theme of shameless luxury.
Speaking of “over-materialed,” the, designs
– if one dare uses such a mainstream word – by Comme des Garcons were
bewildering, staggering and just a little-bit bonkers:
“Blue Witch” is the only instruction we get
from designer Rei Kawakubo, whose models squished through the crowded basement
stage in layers, and layers …and layers
of velvets, furs, feathers and heavy wool-like fabrics. Since 1973 Kawakubo has
been redefining what is describable as “clothing,” and while we have no more
solid insight into her witchy-world, it’s clear these pieces intend to defy
straightforward interpretation.
No Paris Fashion Week post would be
complete without highlighting Louis Vuitton, and this month the fashion
Powerhouse showed us what it means to rethink cyber-punk for the 2010s without
sacrificing glamour, luxury or the label’s gift and propensity for tailoring.
There’s something very “Terminator meets Sailor
Moon meets digital empress” about this line, which is my clumsy way of saying
it is perfectly futuristic chic.
Finally, let us explore the world of
porcelain dolls. Alexander McQueen’s versions make us crave the lady-like
ethereality of the Victorian-undead:
Chanel’s Fall collection was dream-like and
sophisticated. Model’s captivated their audience with striking contrasts and
Tim Burton-esque faces; whether one imagined them more naturally on a cake or
in a ballet, these pieces were a celebration of French design, and quintessentially
Chanel.
Finally, Alexander Wang’s final show for
Balenciaga saw doll-like models in snow-white garments maintain straight faces,
however critics lauded the show as an emotional masterpiece.
~ Monica Sommerville
