Copenhagen, New York, London, Milan and, lastly, bonjour Paris! The style set has been on the road for several weeks now but if the Paris Fashion Week attendees are anything to go by, it would seem they’ve saved some of their best looks to last.
The sun is out in the City of Light but the temperature’s still toe-numbingly cold, so while some dedicated street style stars have been going bare legged, the chatter on the front row has generally been about whether to layer tights or leggings under one’s jeans.
Day one on Tuesday was dominated by the Dior show, and thus the iconic Lady Dior bag and the house’s logo print cropped up all over — the best on its new silk logo chaps. Influencers, private clients and friends of the brand arrived wearing fabulous Victoriana lace gowns and top-to-toe matador-inspired ensembles from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior cruise 2023 show.
Bombers and cargos might have been fashion kid catnip in Copenhagen and London, but guests arriving for the devastatingly chic The Row show on Wednesday got the ‘look effortless and expensive’ memo, with tailored slacks, cashmere coats and oversized outerwear the dish du jour.
Fast forward a few hours to the Acne show though and the heaving crowd of cool kids — plus a white-gloved Jared Leto — clamouring to get in could not have looked more different: think bug-eye shades, acid wash low slung jeans and dishevelled tops.
Ballet pumps, oversized coats, tinted shades and distressed leather have so far been trending, along with silver in all its shiniest forms: metallic trousers, tinfoil dresses and shimmering boots — all of which arrived en masse to see the high-glam Balmain show on Wednesday night.
Victoria Beckham drew in the well-tailored set in their droves on Friday; blazers and crisp ironed shirts were paired with tailored shorts, while lace blouses were slotted under suits for a feminine touch. Beckham’s ruched midi-dress, which came in parrot green on Bella Hadid down the catwalk last season, was also spotted in a particularly swoon-worthy parma-violet shade.
And on Saturday, billowing skirts, corsets and chunky knits appeared to be the dress code. It was the first Vivienne Westwood collection since her death and the house designer, and her former partner, Andreas Kronthaler, delivered a touching show. Outside, guests paid tribute to the Queen of Punk fashion - berets, clunky hairclips and standout metal headdresses met tied-up leather trews and vibrant swathes of red tartan as attendees jostled to get through the doors.