Home to design greats like Lanvin, Balmain, Barbara Bui, Rick Owens, and Chloé – Paris Fashion Week is the epitome of all there is in fashion. Some of our favorites this season came from Balmain, Lanvin, Rochas, and Courrèges . Albert Elbaz, Lanvin’s designer made a poignant point regarding the evolution of runway shows and how designers have altered their approach.
“We used to be designers. Now, we’re image-makers,” Elbaz said during a preview. Inherent in that role: delivering clothes that look good not only on the body and in the mirror, but also on the phone, in search of “likes.” He wondered about the role of fashion as entertainment — “not complaining, just questioning” — adding, “I have to show the extremes.”
The Ready to War theme Lanvin showcased was a smorgasbord of trends, textures, and color palettes. The enormous collection of almost 70 looks spanned from every day separates to elaborate gowns made with the red carpet in mind.
Alessandro Dell’Acqua collections at Rochas are for fashion lovers who want to take style to the max, who are die-hard about dressing up even as society is drifting to an ever casual state. His collections have been quirky mixes of the hyper-feminine and ornate dedicated to explosions of color, animated embellishment and insistent throwbacks to old-school sensibility.
Balmain was in its true form for Spring 16 with its classic approach to glam, edge, and sex appeal. Using a mix of materials like suede, fishnets, cutouts paired with strong shoulders for the ultimate glamazon. The collection was the perfect contrast of masculine strength and feminine sensuality and downright sexiness.
After a 13 year hiatus, Courrèges returned to Paris fashion Week. Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting, the former Young & Rubicam executives who bought the brand in 2011, cited “it’s been a while” in the collection’s invitation. The space aged themed collection featured somewhat retro silhouettes taking cues from the 90’s and 60’s specifically with a contrast of minimalistic colors mixed with metallics and prints.
The week isn’t over quite yet so we’re excited to see what’s to come. What have been some of your favorite shows at PFW? Let us know in the comments below!
All Photos Courtesy of WWD.com
