Paris Spring 2014: Christian Dior, Roland Mouret, Sonia Rykiel, Maison Martin Margiela

by The Daily Front Row

(PARIS) Christian Dior
The famed Musée Rodin was transformed into an upside down greenhouse for Christian Dior, with long colorful strands of flowers hanging from the ceiling; a majestic background for yet another outstanding collection from Raf Simons. The neckpieces mirrored dripping fauna, encircling the necks of the mods, with glistening baubles bleed into jackets, dresses, and tops. Always light years ahead of his contemporaries, Simons turns trends into his own entirely. Take cutouts, for example: His were fashioned at the hip or created by loose weaves on a crop top. Slightly severe noir blouses, sleeveless or long sleeve, gave way to delicate, vibrant pleated skirts. Introducing a few new bag silhouettes, the designer did not skimp on sumptuous skins, choosing crocodile and python over basic leather, also producing a collection of must-have pointy pumps in a plethora of colors. Tulip-shaped skirts and dresses were turned into outfits with delightfully unexpected color combinations. The classic bar jacket suit was transformed into a piece of art with the back seams offering a peek of a bright printed fabric. Floral skirts in nearly neon shades were pleated with accuracy and paired with dark tops, so as to draw the eye downwards. And the shirtdress got an intriguing re-do, with one-sided ruching that gave way to a glittery racerback or a sexy open back. Waxing poetic about the slew of other notable notions Simons explored for Spring would take forever, cheris, but one trend to note on the visage front? Golden brows, thick, lustrous, and an accessory all on their own. 

Roland Mouret

Roland Mouret
’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection was stricken with stripes: Running the gamut from black and white horizontals to colorful stripes on a teeny crop top to a colorblocked and printed confection, this isn’t your basic take on the pattern! Stepping away from that affinity for stripes, there were also playful solids that were held together with black tape-like accents, able to turn a gaudy pink silk fabric into a glamorous, cheeky frock. That same silk in an aqua hue was aided by the aforementioned black accents, but also found its way onto skirts and a side panel of a dress, proving to be a multi-use fabric. The assortment of bright colors was a bold choice, as the mix of yellow, green and hot pink with black and white runs the risk of erring on the side of an Eighties overload, but Mouret’s restrained hand kept the collection in the moment. The playful collection was tied together by the shoes: thick patent leather ankle straps evoked tape, underscoring the cartoonish shades of the collection.   

Sonia Rykiel
In a marble hall and hallway at the Sorbonne, editors were seated beneath luxe chandeliers as well as   shiny black backdrop as they sipped champagne pre-show. As guests entered, Rykiel was already perched front row in her throne waiting for the show to begin. It was très chaud in the venue, so thank God for a little champagne to cool us all off, but that seems par for the course in Paris (if you can survive the tent at the Tuileries without melting, you can survive anything!). Thankfully for the models, they were clad in thin, slinky (mostly) sleeveless Twenties-style knits with a touch of sparkle. Cloche-esque hats came bejeweled with rhinestones; we imagine they’ll be an editorial favorite. Skirts came long in skinny knit pencil skirts or pleated silk just above the ankles. Floral came in a sort of Chinoise print that we’ve been seeing from runway to runway, but here they were on long pencil dresses with a touch of lace at the bottom, tied with loosened bows at the waist. Towards the end, there were some glam Spring fur stoles that were long enough to fall to the ankles, in two-tone iterations of pale pink and gold or mint green and taupe. The show closed with a series of skimpy body-con knits mostly all in Twenties silhouettes, save for a few mini dresses, apropos of the brand’s DNA. 

Maison Martin Margiela
It was a circus outside the doors of Maison Martin Margiela as the huge crowds of attendees and attendee wannabes swarmed the doors. Turns out it was a circus inside, too! There was a black harlequin-themed jumpsuit with micro shorts plastered with a big red diamond on the front, a sequined tight rope walker inspired multi-colored body-suit, pink and red corsets that looked like fish scales, and a little drummer boy-inspired jacket. A long black flowy dress with floral beading lining the hem and breast had a bohemian gypsy vibe. But despite the theme, this was actually a much more commercial collection for the label. The trench coats and tailoring will likely be the real money makers here. A long pink vest coat constructed similarly to the corsets was a highlight as well. 

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