Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: PA
DESIGNER: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.
INSPIRATION: The collection was entitled Woman Ray, and tooks its lead from surrealists like Man Ray and André Breton.
TOP LOOKS: In keeping with the surrealist influence, nothing was quite as it seemed. Black leather gloves clutches breasts to form a bra top, while clutches looked like hard-bound books. Silk tunic dresses featured scribbled messages and super-sized prints of Man Ray's eye photography, and huge tartan picnic rugs serve as skirts, while high dome felt hats on closer were sculpted to look like skulls.
WHO WAS THERE: Kanye West and Katy Perry, who was wearing an electric blue wig, could be seen cooing at pieces as models sashayed down the catwalk. Mark our words: the leather glove bra-top is destined to replace Perry's bejwelled cupcake brassiere.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Despite Castelbajac's references for this collection, it was surprisingly subdued, in places at least, and there was a lot less of Castelbajac's trademark cartoonish aesthetic. That's no bad thing of course, but we couldn't help but feel the show lacked its usual sense of fun.
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac a/w 2011/12