As we marked the final stop of fashion month this week, Paris Fashion Week saw the highly anticipated unveiling of trend-setting collections, iconic runway moments, star-studded front rows, and designers setting the pace for the high street this Autumn
Words: Amy Dowrick | Images: Getty
Drama was at the forefront – and backdrop – of many collections at this year’s Paris Fashion Week A/W – but look beyond the glamour and find integrity and authenticity running throughout the entire season.
“It was interesting to see designers completely hit their stride, it feels like a special moment,” says Head of Editorial Content at British Vogue, Chioma Nnadi. “Designers are honing what feels right to them and what feels right to the brand.”
“It’s less about being performative or trying to please everyone,” adds Head of Editorial Content at Vogue France, Claire Thomson-Jonville.
From Stella McCartney creating her very own Pink Pony Club to stuffed animals sitting front row at Loewe, we take a look at the collections that everyone’s been talking about, and find out what the experts are saying about the key trend takeaways for Autumn.
Show standouts
Flamboyance and drama were major players this season, with gaudy headwear gracing Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood, and models walking across a pond of water lilies in the Tuileries Garden for Jonathan Anderson’s Dior – but what is with all the drama?
“I would say sexy is back,” says Claire. “When you look at Saint Laurent and Le Smoking, there’s this kind of return to being really dressed up and quite dramatic.”
But beyond the dominating silhouettes and 80s-style tailoring, some of the shows also celebrated power around the runway – not just on it.
Stella McCartney took the Year of the Horse by a whole new meaning, staging her runway inside a stable as “some equine therapy”, and introducing her collection with a dozen dancing horses (no kidding).
An ode to her cruelty-free ethos, Stella showcased an entirely faux, riding-inspired collection on the runway as the horses watched on. She closed the show with a tank top donning ‘My Dad Is A Rockstar’ across the front – admittedly taking ‘racer-back’ to an entirely new meaning.
More humour was seen at Loewe, who seated an enormous whale plushie front row and centre. Yes – you read that right.
Cologne-based contemporary artist Cosima von Bonin created outsized textile sculptures to sit alongside guests at the show, which included a rather elegant black octopus, a pair of clams, an Orca and the highly-photographed blue whale.
But alongside these singular standouts, there was one universal statement that seemed to run throughout most of the shows – and it was all black. “There was a lot of black on the runway. So much black,” Claire points out. “I don’t know what that says about now, but I thought it was quite the statement.”
Front row at Paris Fashion Week
And on the topic of statements, all front rows were studded with the big ones – with a fair few standouts.
After much fan speculation, Zendaya debuted her wedding band at the Louis Vuitton show (not long after her stylist Law Roach ‘leaked’ news of the wedding at the recent SAG Awards red carpet).
Clad in bridal whites, the star wore a white cotton poplin shirt dress and a bubbly high-low skirt – with her left hand kept tucked inside her pocket until inside.
Margot Robbie also debuted a new haircut (not quite the same, but golden nonetheless) at Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel show. Waving goodbye to her more dramatic looks worn during the Wuthering Heights press tour, Margot sported a wavy bob-and-bang combo with an elegantly loose tank-and-jean pairing – perhaps a sign of a new era.
And beyond front row, some celebs even graced the runway itself.
Actress Gillian Anderson revived the 90s headband for Miucca Prada’s Miu Miu, strutting the runway in a sequin-embroidered, buttercream dress while sporting a zig zag headband a la Cher in Clueless. Sultry stuff.
So, what’s to come?
According to experts, expect jewellery stacking, building up the layering and making a look entirely your own this upcoming season.
“From a styling point of view, there’s such a variety,” says Claire.
“I’m always thinking about how you put something together and how you present yourself – and that to me really came through,” adds Chioma.
“That’s where people who perhaps can’t afford the Celine bag or the Dior bar jacket can think ‘perhaps I can try wearing a different trouser silhouette or I can add personal jewelry to this look’. Not everything being totally perfect and intentional – it’s off-kilter, slightly messy styling.
“And now I’m seeing it on the streets – these things help and guide young people who are excited about fashion who can’t access it any other way.”
