Paris Fashion Week: main presentations
See in our review presentations of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Kenzo, Saint Laurent and other legendary French brands.
Chanel
A question that arises before any Chanel show is what theme will inspire this time Karl Lagerfield. The new Chanel presentation took place under the slogan “Liberte, Egalite, Chanel” and models on the improvised boulevard Chanel No.5, who looked like students during the events from 1968 in Paris, met the guests with posters saying “Be your own stylist” and motto “What do we want?”, “Make fashion and not war”, mocking this way revolutions on fashion theme. Karl Lagerfeld still made his own small revolution in the spring-summer 2016 season, turning the iconic tweed “twin-set” by Chanel in men’s suits with deliberately bulk cut, culottes pants with short rainbow colored jackets and long coats lined with watercolor print. It is impossible not to agree with this caveat, especially when at the end of the show Lagerfeld demonstrates his version of the student style – white blouses with cup sleeves, strict blue skirt and romantic dresses with ruffles and geometric patterns.
Chanel, Spring-Summer 2016
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2016 show is the case when the place adds more meaning to the action. For Louis Vuitton, this place has become the latest building of the LVMH Foundation Louis Vuitton museum, raised by the genius Frank Gehry – massive “wings” made of glass, steel and concrete, built up right in the Bois de Boulogne. It is here where Nicolas Ghesquière had to demonstrate his version of Louis Vuitton future – the wardrobe for a true cool girl, presumably a student of the 70’s, unruly and rebellious against the system and against her own emotional nature. Ghesquière strengthened his reputation as an innovator in Louis Vuitton and proved he was not afraid to change everything – from logos on the bags to the overall style of the brand, which now looks even more serious and ultra-modern.
Louis Vuitton, Spring-Summer 2016
Dior
Only Raf Simons manages to bravely serve the story, spinning court suits and minimalism in a spectacular complex cocktail. The new Dior collection for Spring-Summer 2016 – it is old and new, normcore and renaissance in one bottle. Combining what literally can not be combined, Simons wounds to the heart of absolutely everyone, if not with the first pure white series of strict outfits, then with luxurious fluffy dresses in “rustic” small flower print or final shiny coats, which go to the podium in the most unexpected combinations – with sports bermuda-shorts and high boots with embroidery in the spirit of the outfits of heroines from fairy tales.
Dior, Spring-Summer 2016
Saint Laurent
We have waited for Twiggy mini-dresses, black tights on long thin legs of models and touching Mary Jane sandals, and with them a lot of lurex, black leather, naive bows and some rebellious careless sexuality, which Hedi Slimane specializes in. The expectations were partially met and the odious Saint Laurent Creative Director, collecting applause from the audience and praise from the big bosses, continues to stick to their line. His version of the upcoming season of spring-summer 2016 – is again the 60’s and again the eternal disco, boudoir luxury complicit with the rhythms of rock ‘n’ roll. Groupies from Los Angeles meet the refined Parisian Haute Couture. It seems that all these jackets with camouflage print, leopard coats, leather miniskirts and flashy sandals on shiny platform will be able to be worn only by Lou Doillon or Alexa Chung, but the presence of Catherine Deneuve and Betty Catroux in the front row suggests the opposite. Still, rebels can be at any age.
Saint Laurent, Spring-Summer 2016
Kenzo
Since Kenzo is lead by Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, all hot fashion novelties and surprises are waited impatiently at each new presentation. At this time, the Kenzo show moved to the skate park, and that did not surprise anyone – rejuvenating the audience with street style experiments, designers now focus on the visual appeal. At 100% it is the fashion of the XXI century: in other words, if you do not want to post photos for Instagram with your new sweatshirt or sandals, then these are not by Kenzo. In the new spring-summer 2016 season, Leon and Lim showed the following: wide trousers made of denim, knitted suits with pleated skirts, as an example of the new New Look, space mask-sunglasses, shoes with perforated leather, and sweatshirts with sewed-on pieces.
Kenzo, Spring-Summer 2016
Stella McCartney
In each collection, Stella McCartney has the ability to dress women comfortable. In the spring-summer 2016 season, the designer rethought the “pajama trend”, offering two dozen of silk dresses and suits, associated with home clothes to sleep (and plaid pajama coloring confirms this). Stella uses tight denim in the style of the 70’s for jumpsuits and tops with fluffy skirts. Each outfit is consistent with the concept of everyday clothes – one in which you want to live and work here and now. The comfort is for Stella in the first place, but as regards the femininity, her new collection will not lose.
Stella McCartney, Spring-Summer 2016
Chloe
Each Chloé collection has one keynote with romantic implications. It is hard to find a girl who will not want to wear these clothes: if not a white dress of a princess with beige gladiator sandals, then a loose overall, if not a tunic with balloon sleeves made of mustard color silk, then suede suit in the color of the sunset. Elegant, but with a note of naivety and childishness, universal, but recognizable in detail, the Chloé clothing glorifies the life, which is usually called by French joie de vivre – the lightness of being a dreamy and sublime nature, the character Chloe.
Chloe, Spring-Summer 2016
Celine
Phoebe Philo, Celine creative director, always “keeps in mind” the busy serious woman. What it means to be such a woman for her? “Being a mother, a sister, a friend, a designer – being yourself”, says Philo. The leitmotif of Celine new spring-summer 2016 collection is the song “This Woman’s Work”, by Kate Bush and its components are clothes worth to be called new uniforms. For the realization of this goal, Phoebe created little black dresses with fringe, slim coats with contrast stitch, wool jumpsuits and ridiculously comfortable shoes resembling leather overshoes.
Celine, Spring-Summer 2016
Givenchy
Riccardo Tisci has created a collection for the modern Jeanne d’Arc – a militant, passionate nature with a war soul and wolf eyes (thanks to the talented Pat McGrath for dramatic wide wings that change the appearance of the models beyond recognition!). Of all seen by us, this spring-summer 2016 collection is probably the sexiest. Transparent light silk tunics with lace, tight like leather corsets dresses, jackets with rivets in the style of the series “Game of Thrones” and unique footwear – stockings boots made of black leather with lacing. The longer the legs, the deeper the cuts – Tisci do not revoice the androgyny fans and looks forward to its target audience, similar to the modern Amazons who want to be dominated and conquered.
Givenchy, Spring-Summer 2016
Balenciaga
Alexander Wang creations for Balenciaga can be appreciated if only to view it with the zoom function. From distance it can not be seen all fancy textures that designer uses to create his own models. In the spring-summer 2016, these are chenille fabrics, reminiscent of sea corals, braided mesh, both large and reminiscent of lace, and 3D-silk with sewed on pieces. Being innovator and modernist, Wang destroys all conventional ideas about how the material for clothing should be. Every item looks as if it is a suit for a computer game, but that still exists in real life and apparently is just about to “come out into the light.”
Balenciaga, Spring-Summer 2016
Alexander McQueen
The Japan culture is still an actual source of inspiration for Sarah Burton, if to judge taking into account the last collections of Alexander McQueen. Even while traveling with Alexander McQueen himself, Burton took one interesting feature from the Japanese costume – the personification in detail, and decided that every image, every costume, every accessory must have a certain meaning. The idea of the value of each item, its uniqueness in history was her motive, which is why all Sarah collections for Alexander McQueen are a limited number of outfits, but fully charged with energy of the strongest single-minded and even somewhat belligerent personality. Japan is a geographical point, the military style – a symbol of life, and the Gothic war theme, and Burton creates her own little world on the brink of war and peace.
Alexander McQueen, Spring-Summer 2016
Miu Miu
Several consecutive years, the Miu Miu show sums the final line under the Paris Fashion Week. The new spring-summer collection is an elegant feminine chic with detectable retro mood. There are three key “players” in the collection and these are triple garments which Miuccia Prada not the first year focuses on – coats, crop tops and pencil skirts. The first term – the most powerful: single-breasted doll coats in pastel shades, tweed coats with suede inserts, white jacquard coats and strict leather coats without any unnecessary detail. As in the collection of Prada for spring-summer 2016, Miuccia uses again the patchwork in the cut, combining tweed, silk and textured wool in one item, but in contrast to the dramatic Prada, the Miu Miu girl is rather romantic and sensitive – the designer conveys this lyrics by floral patterns, wavy ruffles on dresses and bows on shoes.
Miu Miu, Spring-Summer 2016
