Runway
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Elie Saab Couture Spring 2015
Elie Saab’s Couture show audience must have felt like kids in a candy store; the sweets in question were frothy frocks, dusted with a light coating of sparkles and embellished to the nth degree. The color scheme stayed pretty true to pale pinks, soft nudes, spring greens, and snowy whites, but toward the end of the
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Chanel Couture Spring 2015
Hobo chic? For the debut of Chanel’s haute couture collection this season, Karl Lagerfeld sent out a trio of male Huckleberry Finns whose outfits were topped off with frayed straw hats. One model even carried a watering can. The set for the show was a faux mechanical garden. What ensued for the ladies: distressed ladylike Chanel
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Armani Privé Couture Spring 2015
On a runway lined with plastic-ensconced bamboo stalks, Giorgio Armani‘s homage to the Far East was certainly overt. Bamboo could be spotted throughout the collection, from the print on a silk dress to the detailing on a round toe pump. Other Eastern nods included low-slung obi belts, paired with pants, skirts, pant and skirt combinations, and evening gowns.
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Bouchra Jarrar Couture Spring 2015
Opulent gowns took a backseat this Spring at Bouchra Jarrar in favor of daytime pieces, amped up with luxe touches. Replete with shimmering tweeds, slashes of body crossing zippers, look closely, because this isn’t your average collection of work apropos separates. A swirly houndstooth skirt suit was detailed with strips of black vinyl, and that
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Giambattista Valli Couture Spring 2015
Icy pastels and splendid flora, cut with sharp, sophisticated noir suiting were on tap for Spring chez Giambattista Valli. His grown-up take on girlishness for Spring involved gauzy tea-length skirts, some nearly tutu-like in volume, slung over swingy trou (a nod to Janis Joplin, as Valli told Style.com, mixed in with some Coco Chanel references, thanks to those
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Alexis Mabille Couture Spring 2015
For Spring, Alexis Mabille‘s Couture collection oozed glamour. The show kicked off with a full-on sequined strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, followed by a kimono-inspired frock covered in oversized blossoms, and each look that followed offered up quite a hefty dose of glam. That glitzy feeling extended from head to toe, with each mod sporting little
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Schiaparelli Couture Spring 2015
It was a team effort chez Schiaparelli this season. Former creative director Marco Zanini left with just two seasons under his belt after proving instrumental in the brand’s revival, when it was resurrected by Italian business tycoon Diego Della Valle after a 60-year hiatus. The latest collection was designed by the label’s in-house staff, and it didn’t disappoint.
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La Perla Atelier Couture Spring 2015
If you can spend thousands upon thousands on a couture wardrobe, you should be luxe from the inside out! That was theme of La Perla’s debut couture collection at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, which blurred the lines between sporty daywear and boudoir underpinnings. The collection evolved from lingerie to beachwear to clothing with see-through effects.
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Atelier Versace Couture Spring 2015
Donatella Versace‘s latest Couture collection was all undulating curves, all the time, from the opening flared pantsuit numbers to the intricately beaded, red carpet-ready parade of red, white, blue, and noir gowns that closed the show. After the impressive turnout of Versace gowns at the Golden Globes (including a hit white number on Kate Hudson, who was at yesterday’s
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Hermès Spring 2015
Forget strong retro references teetering on the brink of kitsch: Christophe Lemaire went timeless and exceedingly luxe for his final collection at Hermès. The pristine sand lining the catwalk at the show, held at Luxembourg Gardens’ l’Orangerie Férou, lent a desert oasis vibe to things, and coordinated with the first 16 or so neutral looks, as well as the closing
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Louis Vuitton Spring 2015
For Nicolas Ghesquière’s sophomore collection for Vuitton, shown at the gorgeous new Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton (far ahead of its October 27th public opening date) the designer turned out a sharp collection rife with exceptionally sophisticated and intricately worked exercises in leatherwork, mingling with crisp, dark denim, pitch-perfect blazers, velvet separates, and new riffs on sequins. More
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Miu Miu Spring 2015
“A fashion show is always an opportunity to establish relations between its three main components: the venue, the audience and the fashion,” Miu Miu’s post-show statement read. So let’s go over each point, shall we? The venue was the Palais d’Iéna, home to the Economic, Social, and Environtmental Council in Paris, designed by architect Auguste Perret.
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Valentino Spring 2015
Care to take a romantic tryst avec Valentino? For Spring, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli went on a Grand Tour, the rite of passage trek across Europe that was a popular 19th century tradition. Luckily, Valentino brought everyone along to see some baroque blossoms, a stop by the classic ruins, and a short stay at the sea. Just
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Alexander McQueen Spring 2015
The latest Alexander McQueen collection mentioned Japan as a point of reference, but there was nary a kimono or Harajuku girl in sight. Instead, Sarah Burton wove cherry blossoms along with samurai and geisha references throughout the runway collection. The mood was very dark, with plenty of black python skins and heavy silks interspersed with hints of pale pink and the occasional
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Saint Laurent Spring 2015
More of that ’70s show chez Saint Laurent: Hedi Slimane turned out a thoroughly spangled, print-tastic collection, taking shape in very vintage-y florals, polka dots, cherry, and starry motifs. Glitzy platforms embellished to the hilt were paired with plunging necklines, saucy draping, and sexy black leather separates. Short hems dominated, as one would expect from Slimane, in the form
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Sonia Rykiel Spring 2015
Some might say Sonia Rykiel been lacking a certain je ne sais quoi since its fiery, red headed founder stepped down from her helm in 2009. With the arrival of Julie de Libran as artistic director, the spark has certainly returned. The former Louis Vuitton womenswear studio director and alum of Prada and Versace turned out a parade of glamorous
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Chanel Spring 2015
Protester chic? C’est possible, according to Karl Lagerfeld‘s latest Chanel showing. The Kaiser trotted out his latest wares, including spiffy suits avec vibrant flats and long-lapeled shirting, at the Grand Palais. As always, there were some unique new accessories to complement the melange of tweaked tweeds, crisp pinstripes, knits (like Gisele Bündchen in a particularly cozy-looking taupe and white
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Elie Saab Spring 2015
“A plunge into the ocean, a search for sunken treasure,” the show notes read at Elie Saab this season. The lulling sounds of waves greeted guests as they entered the show space in the Tuileries gardens. The palette included lagoon green, sea-mist, coral, and a deep blue that was inspired by the Amalfi coast. The show
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Giambattista Valli Spring 2015
Fresh off the debut of Giamba, a spin-off of his namesake line, in Milan last week, Giambattista Valli carried over a bit of that youthful spirit for the Spring showing of his main collection in Paris. As different as the collections were in some respects, there was a certain sense of innocence found in both showings. Here, the
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Céline Spring 2015
Besides Chanel, there may be no hotter ticket in Paris than a chance to witness a new collection from Phoebe Philo‘s Céline at the Tennis Club de Paris. The brand’s cult following has reached frenzied proportions. “It’s a Célineeeeee” you can hear one fashion insider saying to another of a clothing piece or an accessory, with purposefully placed emphasis
