Paris Fashion Week Diary, Day 3: Lacoste, Atelier Swarovski, Guy Laroche, and Christophe Lemaire

Fashion editor-at-large and stylist Sofia Achaval de Montaigu takes us front row for a third installment of her Paris Fashion Week Diary. Get an inside look at Lacoste’s new take on their classic polo, Atelier Swarovski’s cool new designer collabs, major sex appeal at Guy Laroche, and Christophe Lemaire’s effortlessly chic collection.

Lacoste

The first event today was Lacoste’s fashion show. It took place in the Jardin des Tuilieries very early in the morning. It was hard to wake up, but it was worth it. The venue’s floor was decorated with little Lacoste stickers, making the place look like a basketball court—very creative. There were also big signs that said “Lacoste” along the runway. In the middle, a band played as the show carried out, which made the display even better.

The collection was amazing, and the looks had a retro vibe that took after the end of the ’70s. The style was quite elegant and sporty chic; it merged sophisticated apparel with activewear. Something I found remarkable were the classic polo shirts, which were reimagined as dresses with modern cuts.

The styling of the show was very good; it mixed garments like dresses with socks and sneakers or for the men, sweats with moccasins. Some of the key items of the collection were baggy jeans and high-waisted pants combined with sweatshirts in a retro style. The models had a really fresh look with undone hair and almost no make-up.

Atelier Swarovski

Later, I went to Atelier Swarovski to check out the new collection for Spring/Summer 2018 named “Rainbow Paradise,” which included several collaborations with different designers including Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane, John Nollet, and Jason Wu.

Mary Katrantzou’s collection, “Nostalgia,” had an eclectic style and was full of color. The pieces were cages of rainbow-colored Swarovski crystals and pearls, which moved if you shook them.

A surprising collection was that of John Nollet, a hairstylist who created a collection of hair accessories inspired by the magic of the stars and the glamour of the red carpet. It included bobby pins and hairbands with star motifs.

In addition, there was a relaunch of Christopher Kane’s “Bolster“ collection, an homage to Ancient Egypt. His first collaboration with Atelier Swarovski dates back to 2007, and this version is a line that reimagined his classic and iconic designs in original styles and classic color ways and fuchsia hues. Kane’s selection included bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces with tiny crystals.

Last but not least, Jason Wu’s “Mosaic“ collection gave luxury a colorful and contemporary shift as asymmetrically cut crystals in earth tones. His collection included ear cuffs, a bag, rings, necklaces, and earrings.

Guy Laroche

I also attended Guy Laroche’s fashion show at the Maison Guy Laroche. The Summer/Spring 2018 collection by Richard René was conceived with Mireille Darc in mind as its inspiration, a most faithful client and friend of Monsieur Laroche who passed away this August.

Darc could be seen in the little short blond wigs the models wore on the catwalk and in the inspiration she provided in the late ’70s. It was dramatic, glamorous French style with a retro vibe.

Laroche’s collection was entirely in black with a hint of white in some of the garments. René wanted to represent the free spirit of the women of the era in the clothes, which had a radical structure with lean frames and accentuated shoulders. This could be seen in outfits like a jacket and pants in leather, a little dress with a see-through midriff that had a gold chain underneath, and a transparent shirt.

My favorite looks were a marabou feather coat in white and a dress and jumpsuit cut so low in the back as to almost reveal the derrière. I also like the t-shirt with the “Guy Laroche“ print that was combined with a black cape and high-waisted trousers. There was also a beautiful long sequin glamorous dress that took inspiration from the ’70s, but with modern cuts and shapes that brought it back to 2017.

Christophe Lemaire

The Lemaire fashion show was held at the Palais de Tokyo under a brilliant Paris sun in what seemed like a perfect summer day. There was no catwalk, and the models walked around the chairs. The collection came forth as really wearable. Most of the clothes came in neutral colors like white and blue and included loose fitting dresses, shirts, and pants. The models looked like the modern Parisian woman, effortlessly chic. The cuts were really interesting, giving classic shapes a new twist.

Betak by Alexandre de Betak Presentation at Colette

I went to Betak opening at Colette on the Rue Saint Honoré. There, groundbreaking fashion event designer Alexandre de Betak hosted a book signing about his work and presented an original survival kit and fashion tools for Fashion Week with items like socks, headphones, t-shirts, beanie hats…even drones!…that were sold alongside his book.

He also designed a blanket in collaboration with Gabriela Hearst. Caroline de Maigret, Natalia Vodiánova, Lou Doillon, and Elie Top were all there to celebrate the book launch and I also had the pleasure of speaking with my friend Chufy about her and Alexandre’s baby on the way!