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Fiona Sinclair Scott and Samantha Tese, CNN
The fashion scene was on full display at Paris Fashion Week, with celebrity appearances and curated “viral moments” that completely distracted viewers from the main event: the clothes.
There was no shortage of fun, creative and memorable highlights, including Cher’s cameo at Balmain and Bella Hadid’s splashed Copernicus dress.
Some shows are messed up. The outraged star, whose controversial decision to headline Balenciaga began throwing Kanye West on his muddy catwalk — along with conservative commentator Candace Owens — wore a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to Yeezy outside the show. Show after a day. (The slogan, often used by white supremacist groups, is seen as an attempt to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement.)
This season saw many debuts in Paris, with the Australian brand featuring Zimmerman and, most notably, Victoria Beckham, who presented her first show in three years. The collection was a sexier and fresher take on Beckham’s minimal aesthetic, with different iterations of bias-cut slip dresses, silk midi dresses – worn with lace opera gloves – and backless blazers. It was paired with low-cut pants designed by Gigi Hadid.
Most brands come to inspire, not to inspire. And the nine-day schedule held enough magical moments to justify the many attention-seekers.
Read all our highlights from the Spring-Summer 2023 shows.
Dries Van Noten returns to the runway after the pandemic
The Belgian designer made a much-anticipated return to the runway show format after a nearly three-year hiatus. Staged in an office building built on bare concrete walls, Scene 64 puts cutting-edge design front and center.
From a series of black pieces to a variety of sculptural pieces, the collection built to a bright climax with multicolored florals and swirls of joy, reminding attendees how powerful fashion shows can be – without the antics.
Lowe’s love for anthurium
A large fiberglass anthurium rose from beneath the white-washed floor tiles – a focal point – literally and conceptually – for Loewe’s Spring-Summer 2023 show. The Spanish label’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, explored how nature can seem man-made, and so the bright, plastic-looking unique plant became a theme in a collection built on the idea of repetition and repetition.
The original look, a fitted skirt with a skirt, later reappeared in three other colors. T-shirts draped over what looks like modern body armor are also repeated and designed under cardigans and jackets. The front row was a mix of artists and celebrities, from photographer Juergen Teller to musician Dave Hynes, actor Daniel Levy and Kylie Jenner (he sneaked into the show through a back entrance after other guests had all taken their seats).
Kylie Jenner’s Shiaparelli cameo
Kylie Jenner also made an appearance at the Schiaparelli presentation, this time wearing an unmissable royal blue velvet dress.
The informal presentation, which took place next door to The Ritz, allowed guests to spend time with creative director Daniel Roseberry, who toured the rooms. Described in the show notes as “dresses for living,” his designs were steeped in the brand’s typical surrealist motifs.
But the set was far from one-note. Multi-layered, oversized shirts, a couture riff on the “Canadian tuxedo,” cocktail dresses, formal gowns and swimwear complete a functional new line with something for every occasion. But playful details, such as a red dress with an army of embroidered ants, took the ready-to-wear collection away from the everyday.
Issey Miyake Tribute to Issey Miyake
The fashion community gathered in force at a convention center on the outskirts of Paris to witness the Japanese brand’s first show since its founder’s death two months ago. As the lights went down, a series of screens displayed a photo of the late Miyake, the first Japanese designer to show at Paris Fashion Week, and a quote: Design,” read the quote. “Design brings wonder and joy to people.”
The first few seconds of John Lennon’s “Imagine” played before the screens came up and the show began. The collection envisioned by the brand’s creative director, Satoshi Kondo, was a showcase of sculptural and highly technical design. The intricately embroidered and embellished gowns were full of movement – just like the dancers who took to the stage, swaying and twirling across the set.
Fusion fashion by Chloe
Designer and climate activist Gabriela Hearst turned her attention to the science of nuclear fusion, a way to generate clean energy by replicating the reactions of power stars. It’s a romantic idea that’s fast becoming a reality, and some scientists believe that — if researched and scaled — it could represent the future of carbon-free energy production.
Hearst’s visit to a French research institute building a giant reactor called a tokamak inspired Chloé’s Spring-Summer 2023 show. The show opened under a series of lights arranged in a circular shape similar to a tokamak by visual artist Paolo Montiel Coppa. Modeled by Gigi Hadid, Paloma Elsaesser, Kwanna Chasinghorse and Adwa Aboah, the collection was similarly a high-powered display of ’70s disco shapes, long leather skirts and fuchsia suits – nods to fuchsia-coloured plasma. In nuclear fusion, as the show notes.
Bella Hadid’s viral dress
Fashion loves an Instagram-worthy moment, and Bella Hadid splashing her dress in front of a live audience was the biggest viral hit of the week. As Copernicus’ show closed, the supermodel appeared on stage in her nude underwear while Manel Torres – the inventor of the spray fabric – and two scientists worked their magic. The solution combines natural and synthetic fibers with a polymer solution. Dubbed Fabrican, it transforms into a jersey-like fabric when it hits the skin.
Guests including Kylie Jenner and Alexa Chung watched as the dress was drawn perfectly on the body of the rail. To finish off the look, Coperny’s design head joined the square on stage, rolling the neckline off the shoulder and cutting into the leg slit. The scene immediately went viral, with the hashtag #sprayondress garnering over 3 million views on TikTok.
Cher takes a bow at Balmain
Established models like Irina Lazareanu, Ashley Graham and Christine McMenamy may have walked for Balmain this season, but it was veteran superstar Cher who stole the show. The 76-year-old singer walked the outdoor runway at Stade Jean Bouin in Paris in a latex dress with plunging shoulders and a plunging neckline. At the end, she joined Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing on stage, wearing high platform boots to her 1999 hit “Strong Enough.” Many guests who stopped to dance and sing along cheered.
“We had the best time on stage… I felt really good.” The star later tweeted. “The show was probably the best fashion show (ever)… Clothes 2 Death 4.” Rustetting, for her part, called Cher the “ultimate trailblazer” in a press release, before announcing that she will front the campaign for the new Blaze bag collection.
The show marks the third edition of the Balmain Festival, a fusion of fashion, music and food that raises funds for the global health charity (RED).
Rick Owens fuchsia tulle fantasy.
Fairy dresses aren’t usually part of Rick Owens’ vocabulary. But the American designer is a master of dark romanticism, and this season he saw the explosion of tulle that showed his soft side. The show took place at the Palais de Tokyo’s outdoor pool, Owens’ default location. Water gushed from a central fountain as models walked around it in a fog machine mist.
The collection opened with simple yellow chiffon creations, including dresses that cinched around the waist and were worn with signature thigh-high platform boots. Then, halfway through, things take an unexpected – and wonderful – turn. It turned around. With jellyfish-inspired silhouettes, the floor-length skirts are draped around a tousled line before blooming into bell-shaped illusions that flutter effortlessly in the light fall breeze.
Thom Browne’s Varsity Jacket Opera Coat
Tom Brown has always been a master of storytelling, and his latest offering is what he calls “an American prom mixed with Cinderella mixed with Paris opera.” Starring “Game of Thrones” actress Gwendoline Christie and “Pose” MJ Rodriguez, it was a fun retelling of the classic fairy tale that ended with the words, “Everybody fits in their shoes.”
Brown’s fashion sensibility has always been shaped by American precedent, and his “Cinderella” reimagining features 20 candy-covered taffeta-jackets-turned-opera-coats with polka dot detailing.
“The opera coats played every incarnation of the veil I could think of,” Brown told CNN’s Backstage after the event. “The revelation was that people were discovering me in my Oxford tailoring, and playing with the polka dots on the intarsia level.
Although the usual poodle motif was replaced by images of Browne’s dachshund, Hector and punks wearing wrinkled jackets, Y-fronts and skimpy minis, it was the worst poodle dresses on display. The show ended with a pink tulle Cadillac, where Cinderella and Prince Charming danced with joy.
Valentino nude
Last season, Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a collection entirely in one color: pink. But this time, the label’s signature shade is nowhere to be seen. Instead, it featured a series of monochromatic looks, including nude bodysuits that matched the models’ skin tones.
The word “nude” has proven to be controversial, because it is often represented as a pale peach pink at the expense of other skin tones. But Piccioli created five different nude colors — from pale beige to cocoa — sending a powerful message to other luxury brands about creating more inclusive palettes.
The designer showcased these shades in almost every form, from voluminous dresses to bodysuits in colorful, citrus maxi dresses and green striped pants. Soft wool, textural tuxedos and hooded dresses also got the nude treatment.
Sakai’s delightful toys
Plates have long been synonymous with the late Issey Miyake. But this season, another Japanese designer decided to make them the main focus of her collection. “She used wishes to express freedom through positivity and restraint, strength and joy,” Sakai creative director Chitose Abe said after her performance.
The presentation opened with a double-breasted tuxedo jacket paired with a white shirt to create a one-of-a-kind dress coat, voluminous and loose, giving off a sense of haplessness. It was topped with stove pipe pants that flared above the ankles.
Every outfit had some embellishment, from track jackets and trench coats to metallic skirts with embellished collars and hems. Abe’s oft-loved A-line silhouette was also seen in several iterations, whether the sleeves were gathered at the wrist (or split the seam to create elegant drapes) or worn over trousers and long bomber jackets with a hemline. .
Top Image: Bella Hadid walks for Tom Brown Spring-Summer 2023 at Paris Fashion Week, 2022.
CNN-Wire
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