Pulling the draw closed, Paris set the finale for this seasons A/W 17 collections. Arguably saving the best until last, this season saw yet another flourish of favourites. Meanwhile, hosting fashion week during this years international womens day, France could not have said it any better – “Egalite, Fraternite, Liberte!”
Olivier Rousteing rebelled at Balmain, taking inspiration from musical revolutionary’s like Nirvana. Rousteing reiterated the importance of self power, dedicating his collection to the strong women of today. The models walked with pride and the designs featured a heavy emphasis on animal print, stooded embellishments, fringing and leather. Over at Lanvin, flowing shapes cut in lace and silk, injected a flow of elegance to the catwalk. Here, Lanvin too resonated a sense of pride and grace for all women, across the globe.
From left: Balmain, Lanvin
Karl Lagerfield once again stole the show with dramatic production and an inspirational collection at Chanel. Transforming the Grand Palais into a space station, Lagerfield prepared for lift off with a Chanel inspired rocket centre stage. This collection showcased Chanel’s signature tweed with a vamped up twist, including black and silver trimmings, sparkly glitter knee high boots and an embellished head band to finish.
Chanel
Following the glitter trend, Saint Laurent broke social media with sexy silhouettes, velvet, ruffles, boxy shoulder details and a bedazzling pair of over the knee-silver glitter boots! Wanda Nylon also conformed to the theme of all that glitters with more monochrome sparkles.
Saint Laurent
Balenciaga broke the rules with daring designs and coats wonkily done up to the side – making any previous uses of ‘edgy’ seem completely meaningless. At Balenciaga, Sacai and Aalto, the puffer jacket stayed! Whilst we may have just had one of the warmest winters to date, oversized and extra cosy puffer jackets are here for another season, meaning another warm winter is on the cards for A/W 2017.
Accessories galore made this Paris fashion week a memorable one, from Saint Laurent’s glitter boots, to the headbands seen at Chanel. Jaquemus gave us avant-garde with a modernist take on a collection of hats, styled with every outfit. Meanwhile a pop of colour was introduced through retro bags in yellow and pink. After last season’s empowering collection and “we should all be feminists” message, we thought it wasnt possible to adore Dior much more. Yet, Maria Grazia Chiuri has done it again, this season in all things blue. Accessories were again ever so important to this collection as a black beret accompanied each look. As the beret represents revolution and protest, Chiuri’s Dior girl remains strong and powerful, season after season. And so this year, it seems that international women’s day really couldn’t have come at a better time.
Alex Jones
Cover Image: http://www.scmp.com