Paris, chic to chic
PARIS -- After four weeks of non stop fashion spanning the four style capitals of the world -- New York, London, Milan, and Paris -- you could almost hear a collective sigh of relief fall over the City of Light when the Miu Miu show ended Sunday night. Or was it the sound of contentment?
Paris, home to all the old, important fashion houses, once again proved itself to be the fashion capital, moving fashion forward and giving editors and buyers plenty to praise rather than slander.
The most talked- about collection of the week was, without a doubt, Yves Saint Laurent. Stefano Pilati , the Italian designer who has been at the helm of YSL for the past two years, gave his best show yet, managing to steer YSL in a cooler, more laissez - faire direction by adding new, exaggerated volume to his silhouettes while also staying true to the heritage of the 45-year-old house.
Pilati's new direction was inspired by the "street" -- a vibe many designers seem to be picking up on this season -- and what people wear to protect themselves from the cold: layers, hoods, heavy stockings, gloves, thick neck warmers, and even gold-rimmed sunglasses to fend off the winter glare.
The YSL woman has always been cool and chic, but now she's practical as well. Each round-shoulder, voluminous coat felt fresh, as did a fur tunic cut in a mock-croc print put over a short, hooded dress. Even when Pilati updated the classic YSL trademark, (the lean, black tuxedo that calls to mind Catherine Deneuve and Betty Catroux ), he made it look completely new, cutting it as an ivory mini dress with black satin lapel. He reinterpreted the same theme when he sent a men's-size blazer down the runway over tights, reaffirming the YSL idea that a woman in menswear can be far more appealing than a woman in a clingy dress.
New proportions and big jackets also turned up at two other rejuvenated French houses: Lanvin and Dior. Shoulders took on different proportions at both, but Lanvin's designer, and one of fashion's indisputable darlings, Alber Elbaz , kept the extent of his new volumes smaller and cleaner, his dresses mostly unadorned except for some beautifully rendered pleating, a few ruffle flourishes, and the occasional exposed zipper. It was simply about color and construction, and it worked.
At Dior, John Galliano , who is known for letting loose the most feral of fashion on his catwalks, let his take on volume soar to extreme heights, but, thankfully, only when fur was involved. The arms of coats bristled like angora cats with their tails stuck in electrical sockets, but, aside from that, Galliano was pretty tame, nipping in waists and draping gowns in a way that recalled Christian Dior's groundbreaking "new look" of the 1950 s. Will Galliano be making as big an impact on today's women? Probably not, but he did turn out his best ready-to-wear show in years.
One designer who is certainly influencing the way women today dress is Nicolas Ghesquière , the mastermind who resurrected Balenciaga from the dusty archives with his skinny pants, impossibly high platforms, and ever-copied motorcycle bags. Last season it was futurism, now it's ethnic print-meets-prep school. Middle Eastern-inspired prints were wrapped into bohemian dresses that looked as if they were made of one giant, fringed scarf. Then there was a parade of trim, prep-school blazers cut in a variety of colors and shapes, most of them shown with narrow jodhpurs in khaki or army green. It was an edgy, carefree take on preppy -- a trend that will be easy to translate in and around the Boston area.
Chanel was another collection that will prove easily adaptable. Where Balenciaga looked like boarding school in the fall, Chanel looked like college girl in the winter. Staying true to Chanel's tweedy roots, Karl Lagerfeld decided to relax his ladies and keep them warm by putting striped scarves around their necks, little knit hats on their heads, and either a tweed coat or a down-filled parka over jeans. Whoever imagined Chanel as comfy?
Christian Lacroix had no interest in sending his girls to school. While he did try to make his ladies look younger by styling them with studded, metallic, scrunch boots, they still looked more princess than punk. Silhouettes were controlled and ladylike, colors perfectly demure. Even with their armful of jewels and flaunts of fur, these regal women still managed to appear cool.
Which is exactly what this Paris prêt-à-porter season was all about: defining "chic" in the coolest, most sophisticated way possible. A style that naturally only comes from the French. 