Runways at the recently concluded Paris Fashion Week were rife with retrospectives on various facets of fashion and femininity. Leather likewise figured largely at this year’s shows, worn rigid or rippled and either going full coverage or combined with more delicate materials.
Both Chloe and Hermès explored women’s freedom of movement from opposite ends of the spectrum: While the former slid back to the early aughts with the brand’s new creative director Chemana Kamali’s debut runway show turning to the unrestrictive, slouchy, flowy silhouette of boho, the latter utilized water-resilient leather for a boost of biker chic for the woman who can weather any weather.
Chanel sat somewhere in the middle, with classic suits and sets revitalized with fresh silhouettes that were a testament to comfort and timelessness.
Chloe and Hermès also kept to earthy colors for their fall/winter 2024 offerings: Chloe’s catwalk was strewn with brown, black and beige, with the occasional periwinkle, mauve and pine. Hermès also kept to deep chocolate, burnt burgundy and goose gray, although much of the collection also came in arresting candy-apple red and muted flax yellow before dimming down to ebony.
All black
Comme de Garçons featured mostly black—with the occasional ecru and artichoke green—in its leathery collection. Fashion designer Rei Kawakubo sculpted the material into enormous ballgowns reminiscent of Marie Antoinette, if she ever reincarnates as a biker or rock star.
Valentino appeared to have also been dipped in black ink, making no room at all for any other hues. But make no mistake: The monochromatic collection was far from monotonous, turning to interesting cuts, textures and details—or even the lack thereof—to define luxury in form, flair and function.
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As ever, Balenciaga was as gimmicky as Valentino was restrained. The Spanish luxury brand’s runway could only be described as garage sale chic, as bodies came out covered in seemingly unruly piles of clothing. There were gowns made from a mishmash of bras and negligées, pants as tops and jackets as skirts, ensembles plastered with packaging tape, and backpacks-turned-minidresses. Retro logo tees, dishwater-colored gowns whose stiffness mimicked having been kept in storage for far too long, and a ruffled fur coat that looked like it had gone through extended abuse further accentuated the collection’s thrift store-core. It all makes sense when taken as Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia’s commentary on material consumption in a progressively cluttered world.
‘New dawn’
In contrast to the visual loudness of the Balenciaga show, Loewe offered a refreshing take on the stillness of life as creative director Jonathan Anderson took inspiration from the works of American painter Albert York.
York’s mini studies that hung on the sage green walls that lined the catwalk maze were reflected in the beautifully rendered details that make up Loewe’s collection. The rich artistry in the designs lent a luxurious feel to what could have been simply been gaudy nostalgia, like the fine beading that covered entire ensembles, including nature patterns and paintings of animals, or the metallic hand-crafted wooden collar on a dark coat.
Louis Vuitton’s show marked a “new dawn” for women’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquiere as he celebrates a decade with the brand, much like it did when he first took on the role. His joy could be felt in his designs, which were characterized by icy shades of white, blue, gray and metallic hues, combining soft and stiff, structure and swish.
Fur, pailettes, embroidery and cut-outs added interest to the intriguing designs. The array of thickly embroidered metallic blazers were drool-worthy, as were the fun flounce on the sparkly gowns underneath sporty coats.
Funnily enough, Louis Vuitton also had its version of the bag dress, except not as literal as Balenciaga. INQ
(More photos on Inquirer Plus.)
