Paris Fashion Week – What We Learnt
- Blog Post
For those amongst us who aren’t familiar with the must-see fashion event in Europe, Paris Fashion Week is held twice a year in the French capital. The dates change each year, but they always coincide with giving us a sneak peak at this year’s Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter collections. As the final show of the big four (following New York, London and Milan) the Paris Fashion Week has always had a romance and grandeur on the runways.
This year’s exciting event kick started on February 26th at Carrousel de Louvre and was home for a short while to the lines of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Balenciaga (to name a few!) This Autumn/Winter showing might seem a little early for these outside the fashion sphere, seeing as we’re only just now amassing our Spring/Summer wardrobes. But fashion moves quickly, and those ahead of the game are the ones who change it!
The first day in Paris showed a huge variety of seasonal collections, with Cedric Charlier going for pink oversized trenches (we expect to see an understated version of this!) and Julian David giving us some superbly simple daywear. The white blouse with cutaway biceps and minimalist collar screams style and the black ankle length trousers give professional wear a much-needed injection of modernism.
The second day in Paris was all about accessories, with Dries van Noten stealing the show with his sparkled styling. The overstated diamond jewellery offers the perfect statement piece and it’s very encouraging to see the simple stones on display; it all but paves the way for a high street renaissance of diamante!
Even Day Three was heavily accessorised, with Lanvin showcasing their incredibly creative and fun necklaces to lighten the mood as Autumn and Winter roll in.
Day Four harked back to the fashion pure, with the oversized outerwear and professional looks making a huge impact on the runways. Mikaye is pretty in tartan pink with her number, whilst Bruno’s and Dior’s monochrome simplicity continue the modern take on office and office dinner wear.
Day Five got daring with footwear. The nonsensical impracticality of Acne’s new flats reminds us of a number of things, none of them stylish. However in the same breath, Acne wowed us with these mesh stocking boots which scream Topshop.
Almost every outfit we saw on the runway on Day Six was sporting a tight, high crew neckline. Sweaters, dresses and coats alike all hugged the neckline very closely. As we previously pointed out with the spring lines, these types of neck lines are the perfect partner to small busts but can play havoc for the more buxom woman. With it being Autumn/Winter, we can hopefully look forward to seeing some fabulous scarves which can help to reduce the effect.
Day Seven showed us a surprisingly grungy side to the Autumn/Winter collection, with Saint Laurent going for some impressive, Courtney Love inspired throw-togethers. Dark tartan, with dark make-up and dark leather was the combination of choice; hardly what we need to cheer us up with the wind and rain!
The penultimate two days at Paris Fashion Week re-affirmed our suspicions that monochrome and block colours are really back. With a nod to formal and professional wear, the normally extravagant finale showed us some surprisingly wearable looks in what culminated to be a very exciting and promising week.
So what next? Well New York Fashion Week is in September, how long can you twiddle your thumbs for?
