Left to right: Gareth Pugh, Rochas, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries van Noten. photos: AP, AFP/Getty Images, PA
Fashion Week has finally arrived at its final stop, the City of Light, and we can't wait for the fashion ahead: Chanel, Dior, Vuitton, Stella, and so much more. Here's our wrap-up from day one...
Video Fashion: Dior may not be showing until tomorrow, but everyone is already getting excited to see the latest episode of the Lady Dior handbag saga starring Marion Cotillard, which will be unveiled at the show. Directed by Jonas Akerlund, the music video features Cotillard (in a Dior suit in one scene) singing "Eyes of Mars" by Franz Ferdinand. We're obviously beyond excited to see what Galliano sends out on the runway, but this is set to be a pretty good appetizer. Check out www.ladydior.com on Friday to see it for yourself.
Urban Armour: Gareth Pugh is never one to disappoint with his theatrical fashion shows, and this season, models with sooty foreheads stalked the runway in neoprene-backed leather outfits, including superhero capes paired with thigh-high boots and gloves which then segued into softer styles like dresses and trousers draped in fine silver chains. To us, Pugh's woman can be described in one word: fierce. We bet P Diddy, who was spotted front row, agrees.
Swinging Sixties: There was a definite '60s theme as Giles Deacon's models came down the cloud-covered runway sporting amazing beehives (some adorned with cloud headdresses by Stephen Jones) to accessorize the pencil skirts and corset tops Giles sent down the runway in a palette of browns and orange. Of course, the designer's trademark cartoonish touch was still apparent as furry handbags were decorated with eyeballs, turning them into stuffed toys as well as mobile phone, lipstick and wallet carriers. In addition, Giles had a stellar model line-up including Louise Pedersen, Jessica Miller, Karolina Kurkova, Jessica Stam, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Natasha Poly, Ana Beatriz Barros, Angela Lindvall, Coco Rocha, Alessandra Ambrosio and Carmen Kass. Wow. In another great model moment, Irina Lazareanu (sporting a messy, chopped 'do) took a seat off the runway in the front row at Anne-Valérie Hash's show. Look out for her performing with Sean Lennon this week.
Marco Zanini at Rochas also went retro with his collection inspired by the 1969 film Cactus Flower. The hair was very Catherine Deneuve-meets-Brigitte Bardot, and the collection was all about saturated colours and vintage-y fabrics: think brocades, lamés, jungle prints and hues like turquoise, peach and yellow.
From Runway to Reality: Dries van Noten delivered a collection of imminently wearable items that looked effortlessly thrown together yet utterly fashionable and sophisticated. Military-style items, menswear tailoring. deconstructed sweats, classic '50s and '60s silhouettes and artistic prints on evening wear all came together to create a wardrobe that suggests innate style and an insouciant attitude to fashion. Basically, we wanted every item.
Family Style: Designer Yohji Yamamoto's daughter Limi Feu shares her father's fashion DNA with a gothic-hard rocker edge as her models made their way down the catwalk in combat boots paired with loose layers of chiffon, lace and leather, in a palette of mainly black.