It was “la Vie en Rose” for Valentino who headlined Sunday’s segment of Paris Fashion Week with a daring yet triumphant pink collection as VIP guests including Lewis Hamilton and Zendaya had to negotiate arrivals during a car-free day in the capital’s center.
Meanwhile, Balenciaga’s show invite — a cracked iPhone 6S — raised eyebrows for being wasteful.
Here are some highlights of fall-winter 2022 ready-to-wear collections:
PRETTY IN (SHOCKING) PINK
All-encompassing pink decor sprawled across Le Carreau du Temple in Le Marais.
It was a Valentino collection like no other — where the majority of the exhaustive, often-minimalist, 81 looks — were delivered in shocking pink.
It was certainly a bold choice for designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, given the potential for the ready-to-wear styles to appear repetitive. Scallop details in shoulders came on loose silhouettes with swag and generous proportions, glowing pink above chunky 70s platforms. A minimalist tulip shaped skirt was surreally stiff and angular. While, a soft tuxedo jacket was so oversize that its shoulders fell from the model’s own shoulders in chic segments.
But just as the pink began to feel endless, the master Italian couturier switched to a black palette — as if to say that there is a shadowy underbelly of all things sweet. It was an effective contrast, and demonstrated his deft design control.
Piccioli was trying to show that by taking away color, or the need for color, attention can be concentrated on form and silhouette alone. It was a triumph.
PARIS BREATHES
Paris’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo has garnered praise over the years for efforts to reduce pollution in Paris — a European Union capital often listed among those with the worst air quality.
On Sunday, the first four arrondissements in the French capital were closed to automobile traffic from 10am to 6pm as part of a monthly initiative. It put a dampener on the gas-guzzling behavior of many fashion editors crisscrossing Paris many times a day in cabs or chauffeur-driven transportation.
Guests at Valentino had present a special dispensation card to get in to the area.
THE ART OF THE INVITATION
The art of the chic invite is still very much a staple of the Paris luxury industry.
Houses compete to produce the most eye-catching, inventive and flamboyant show invitations delivered often by gas-guzzling courier to each guest’s personal or professional address with little thought for ecology.
The little works of art sometimes provide a hint as to what the collection has in store; other times, they are just plain wacky.
The invite to Isabel Marant’s show was a case in point: A shimmering silver box inside of which lay a musical instrument — a real sculpted wooden recorder.
Loewe’s invitation was pure kink: A large 1-meter (yard)-square piece of thin rubber hidden inside a small metal cylinder setting the tone for Jonathan Anderson’s fashion forward display.
Saint Laurent’s invite was pure luxury: A black leather wallet — initialed with the name of the respective guest — with YSL embossed in gold metal on the front.
While the invitation possibly the most eccentric — and wasteful — ever seen was Balenciaga’s, which comprised a damaged iPhone 6S with a cracked screen and a laser engraved message detailing the invitation.
ATLEIN GETS HIS MORNING COFFEE
Atlein, a French brand committed to sustainable design whose name is inspired by the Atlantic Ocean, focuses on the body and energy and movement.
In this show, Antonin Tron chose to reinterpret fashion recycling. Sustainable design is a cornerstone for Tron, who has in the past used looks from previous collections and upcycled them. On Sunday, the face of a model was covered by a thick veil that used recycled fabrics.
But there were also moments of variation on the recycling theme. Nespresso capsules were used to construct a sheath dress — in a memorable, Instagram-ready design feat. Elsewhere, the strong material used for a sail became a fall raincoat, jacket or wrap skirt. They were folded, effortlessly, like origami.
There were also nods to trends — silhouettes were slim, with black pleated leather pants and black ruched gowns, infused throughout the collection with moments of sparkle in ocean blue, shocking pink, acid green, and silver flash of jewelry.
