Fall 2016 Ready-to-Wear || The Best of Paris Fashion Week

10:48 PM

The glamorous ending of the Miu Miu Ready--to-Wear show just a few minutes ago put an end to the Paris Fashion Week, and to the Big 4, for the Fall/Winter 16/17 season -- and while those lucky enough to attend all the shows in the flesh are celebrating, I'm here to offer you a somewhat amateurish recap of the past week and to talk about my personal favorites.

March 1st

Fashion Week opened up with an Aalto show domineered by monochromatic bulky clothes in rich, vivid shades -- a bold and clear statement by Merikoski, followed by a rather bland Each x Other and an eccentric as usual Anrealage. A relatively fresh face on the fashion stage, Anthony Vaccarello was next with a determinedly black and leathery collection, but the spotlight was Jacquemus's. A 90's designer, he brought a very millenial, pop culture-influenced look to the catwalk. A vibrant, ruled by models of color collection by Koché followed. The night ended with a partially unisex collection by Y/Project with half the designs making a reappearance from men's fashion week.

Jacqemus

March 2nd

A rather styleless and uninspired Courréges opened up Day 2, followed by the futuristic, sci-fi undertones of Maison Margiela. Yang Li's unhinged collection was a bold and not particularly vague political statement, while Cédric Charlier offered an unimpressive and sort of rough collection. Dries Van Noten put on a splendid show - all the models complemented the clothes with eyes smeared black and ruffled purple collars under a soft muffled purple light - and presented chic, classical designs. What made a lasting impression, sadly, was the presentation, not the clothes. Guy Laroche was a drab disappointment, with dull colors and inverted bulky shapes. Rochas presented a very feminine, delicate collection, boldly complemented with vividly colored contrasting accessories. Aganovich's designs had a gothic touch and a vampire-like, dramatic aesthetic, while Lemaire carried a classy, elegant and feminine air. Vionnet had a lot to offer in the shape of long, flowing asymmetrical evening dresses. H&M designers had a chance to show off what they can do outside of retail -- and it was magical and fluid, carrying the atmosphere of 18th century Amsterdam.

Rochas

Aganovitch

March 3rd

Chloé presented a collection that exuded a road-trippy vibe and reintroduced the 70's leather overalls. An unoriginal and unimpressing Carven show was followed by a Manish Arora collection - at homely restaurant venue, presented by unprofessional models - that mixed (with dubious success) ethno motifs and 80's hippie fashion. Paco Rabanne had denim-and-leather androgynous looks to offer, preceded by a sexless, loose and roughened all-black collection by Ann Demeulemeester. Tsumori Chisato was a mix of screaming, vivid and seemingly unmatchable colors and a feather or two. Balmain had a lot to offer in the shape of soft pastel tones, feathers and ruffles, striking as a definite success in my personal list. Alexis Mabille flirted with wordplay and incorporated very feline designs on the catwalk, while Barbara Bui used a lot of plaid (a LOT of it) and established PVC pants as all the rage now (after several designers before that had already included them in their collections. Rick Owens's was a very anxious, unruffled collection while Lanvin's was shiny, floral and delicate in the classiest, most elegant way. Vetements (the brand Demna Gvasalia created after leaving Louis Vuitton to pursue her own creative aspirations) left everyone gaping with the bold decision to include street-style clothes with profane prints, untucked oversized shirts and a variety of Tumblr emo sweatshirts. This unprecedented brave step certainly helped the brand leave a mark.

Balmain


Chloe

Vetements

Lanvin

March 4th

Loewe presented fluttery looks without clean-cut sillouhettes, accentuated by golden details and feline accessories and several designs completed by battle armor. Alexandre Vauthier had aimed for minimalism but his monochromatic, sexed up collection came off as simplistic and unoriginal. Damn Chalayan, back at it with the PVC pants (and skirts) again! Chaotic, confusing and a bit too what-the-eff, Chalayan's collection left even professional reviewers at a loss for words, and not in a good way. Issey Miyake displayed a kaleidoscope of hypnotic designs while Julien David presented a very futuristic yet unwholesome collection. Yohji Yamamoto's looks were very feminine and minimalistic, lots of floating loose fabric and clean-cut, definite hems, while Emanuel Ungaro was sloppy, colorful, all over the place in a collection that didn't quite stick together. The Isabel Marant consisted entirely of late 80's and early 90's punk while Undercover exuded a cold regal haughtiness, with gilded ornaments and elegant overcoats. Lutz Huelle combined bulky skirts and tops with clean-cut sillhoute and flare, golden sequins and denim. Andrew Gn employed organza, fur and floral elements in a collection that flowed together stylishly and beautifully. Christian Dior set a new trend of round black sunglasses and black lipstick combined with the classical Dior suit, floral fluttery dresses and bare shoulders.

Dior


Dior

March 5th

Junya Watanabe's show was a display of geometrical extravagance and Haider Ackermann's - a flash of circus motiffs and velvet. Bulky coats, thigh-high boots, 80's vibes and PVC clothing dominate the runway and Acne Studio follows the trend, dedicating the entire collection to a combination of the above mentioned, complete with large wide belts and sizeable bags. Leopard prints and leather comprise the Mugler collection. Even though the shows were Ready-to-Wear, the Comme des Garçons was downright unwearable, a futuristic, robotic fusion of rectangular structures. Nina Ricci disappointed with dull tones and oversized coats while the Talbot Runhof collection turned out to be a pleasant surprise with sprakling, fluid dresses. Vivienne Westwood seems to have drawn inspiration from corsairs, Ancient Rome, Budhist monks and the Hunger Games' Capitol citizen in a fairytale collection unlike any other on the runway this season. Elie Saab set the trend of delicate, diaphanous dresses combined with rougher overcoats.

Elie Saab

Vivienne Westwood

Elie Saab

March 6th

Fur, silk and overcoat in a regally Russian manner were combined in Valentin Yudashkin's collection. Bulky shoulders and high-waisted, wide-legged 80's trousers were the essence of the Maison Rabih Kayrouz collection, while the Céline runway was overtaken by light, liquid silks in bright colors. The Akris show was evidently inspired by the savanna, in gradually flowing shades of orange, red and brown. John Galliano combined ankle-high sneakers with fluttery, effervescent dresses and presented the military coat that is the new fall trend. Roalnd Mouret created a breathtaking collection heavily based on velvet and floral prints but Givenchy stole the thunder on Day 6 with a ombination of military coats and Egyptian prints. The disgrace of the Paris Fashion Week was the Balenciaga show: its 80's trenchoats and bulky bags, oversized sweatshirts, sweaters, shirts, denim and ski jackets presented a casual street style that fit the dominant trend of the season but the show became notorious for being the only show not to include a model of color.

Akris

Givenchy

Roland Mouret

March 7th

Leonard played safe and chose royal blue and floral patterns, dark blue and orange. Sacai went on to establish the bulky coats and military jackets worn over delicate skirts and flare. Stella McCartney put on a powerful show but the collection was unwholesome and overall dissatisfactory, employing denim, swan prints and the emblematic oversized bulky coats, all in colors that didn't flow naturally into one another and failed to contrast in a way that clicked. Veronique Branquinho presented a collection that was deeply Victorian in its essence, morbidly elegant and shocking but nonetheless stylish. The Giambattista Valli collection was feminine, floral and fluttery, an explosion of chiffon frocks, combining the touch of spring with autumnal colors. Esteban Cortazar's show started off with an à la khaleesi dress and finished with Effie Trinket, passing through Carrie Bradshow in the Carrie Diaries -- in other words, a recipe for disaster. Sonia Rykiel presented a naturally flowing sequence of dark, livid colors, fur, leather and sequins in stark contrast with Hermès. While many designers had chosen to go all monochrome, or to employ a sharp, clean sillhouette, only Hermès attempted to combine both, which resulted in a dull, monotonous collection. The night concluded with Saint Laurent's silent intimate show: slicked back hair, bright red lipstick and an 80's influence more clearly defined than in any other show before and that looked elegant and classy.

Giambattista Vallo

Saint Laurent

March 8th

Bulky pants, denim, two-color combinations and fanny packs, the 80's galmour summarized the Off-White collection, while the Kenzo show could only be described as a 70's nouveau riche Las Vegas aesthetic. Iris van Herpen stood out with metallic futuristic tones that looked sharp, shiny and defined.

The Chanel and Valentino shows were nothing short of spectacular: everyone at the Chanel show got front row with a mile-long runway and enjoyed the incredible number of 94 models while the Valentino show was conducted under muffled lights and a soft piano tune. Chanel, too, exuded an 80's vibe but kept the classic Chanel suit, which was predominant, in soft pastel pink and beige, golden and blackcombined with emblematic hats and pearl strings, but the brand set a trend of its own: the Chanel quilted bag makeup.

It is no secret that Valentino is perhaps my most favorite brand, which is why I'll go into a more detailed discussion of the collection. The 82 models wore delicate makeup and the hairstyle was kept simple, in a slicked back updo. Army coats and combat boots combined with the diaphanous, effervescent dresses and turtleneck sweaters underneath delicate spaghetti strap dresses were the prevalent trends, the jewelry and accessories kept to a minimum. The overall impression was one of innocence, delicacy and feminity. The collection was split in two: clean slack black and gentle beige that softly faded into pink, with yellow, dark green and dark blue dresses in sharp, vivid color to shock the eye and distract the viewer from the soft pastel colors. Futuristic, avian and stellar details could be seen in some of the designs but the clear simple models exuded a ballerino presence, sometimes more blatantly stated with tutu skirts.

Iris van Herpen

Chanel's quilted bad makeup

Chanel

Valentino

March 9th

The snowy venue, the purely white collection and the snowflake prints and patterns of the Moncler Gamme Rouge Alpine collection set the models apart with a delicate, pristine, birdlike presence. Louis Vuitton fell prey to the PVC pants (and coats, and skirts) and combined them with nautical prints and fur hats. The Miu Miu show, in conclusion, managed to achieve the 80's high school prom aesthetic, complete with PVC coats, denim jackets, flare skirts and large floral motifs.