By Francesca Claybrook
Fashion Week travels from Milan to Paris every year, and so here we go from la dolce vita in Italy to la vie en rose in France – here are some of the top looks from the Paris runways.
Chanel is one of the names that spring to mind whenever you hear “Paris” and “fashion” in the same sentence. This show is always one of the highlights of Paris Fashion Week, and this season was no different. Remember the black and white trend in Milan? It’s in Paris too: the first half of the Chanel show was almost entirely black and white, with some pastels (think yellow, pink, and blue) and graphic floral prints making their entrance during the second half of the show. While the entire collection is pretty amazing, I fell in love with this simple black slouchy sweater and skirt combo. (The entire collection can be seen here.)
Valentino is one of my perennial favorites, and this year I had to go no farther than the opening look to become enraptured with the entire collection. Every single piece is stunning, and I want practically all of them. The collection has a lot of blacks, whites, and nudes (keeping with the trends everywhere else), with some warm pinks, corals, and reds thrown in the mix to keep it interesting. I had such a tough choice picking my favorite look from the collection, but I think I have to stick with the dress that opened the show. It’s so simple, classic, and ladylike that I just can’t get enough. For the entire collection, click here.
Lanvin showed some gorgeous pieces in black and muted shades of navy, olive, and brown, as well as standout brights like red, yellow, and pink in their S/S 2011 collection in Paris. There was a lot of flowing fabric as well as some crystal detailing, but I really loved this metallic mini dress – the ruching and the tough-girl shape keep what could otherwise be a boring dress interesting, but it’s still wearable for so many people. Check out the collection in full here.
Givenchy showed a fascinating (though much less wearable) collection this season, done almost entirely in on-trend black, white, and leopard print. There were a lot of zippers and other hardware, which teamed with flowing chiffon to give the collection a soft-meets-hard feeling. I liked this look, which isn’t overly tough, because the layers are done so well – everything looks lean, and then you realize there there’s a vest, and trailing chiffon, and yet neither of these elements adds any bulk. Layering without bulkiness is such a hard thing to do correctly, and Riccardo Tisci achieves it. (Full collection is here.)
Louis Vuitton, and designer Marc Jacobs, are having none of this black and white stuff that so many other designers have showed for spring. This S/S collection is full of color, with black and white taking a backseat to bright, in-your-face colors and designs. I mean, a white suit, which would have been left white at most other designers this season, served as the base for a print of a giraffe, and a black and white top was not just black and white, but had a panda printed on it (adorable!) So while it’s a shame to leave all those beautiful shades of color behind, you know me – I’m drawn to the pieces that are more wearable. So my favorite look was this black and yellow-orange dress. The tiger print hints at the animal inspirations Jacobs drew from, but is still elegant and classy, and the silhouette is to die for. (See the full collection here.)
PS – If you missed our take on the Milan runways, make sure you check it out!