Paris Fashion Week: Fall 2015 Trend Report

PARIS

FASHION WEEK Fall 2015 Trend Report

March 3rd-8th, 2015

MODA Written by Fashion Writers:

Edtited by:

Alexa Carlson Victoria Fok Emma Leuman Marissa Monett Phebe Myers Alyssa Sage Paige Schultz, Fashion Editor Marissa Monett, Fashion Editorial Assistant

March 3rd DAY ONE

By Marissa Monett Day One of Paris Fashion Week commenced with looks that refreshingly and artistically diverged from the literal take on “ready-to-wear” many designers have been akin to this month. Though the city’s original power houses would reign just a few days after, these first few shows of the week reminded the world just why Paris remains a favorite. Kicking off with shows by two designers taking the world by storm for no more than three years, the fashion capital voiced their appreciation for newcomers, innovative creatives and the art of turning heads.

Straying far, far away from the ordinary, chic elements of Parisian style, the day’s first runway show featured intensely crafted and deliberately structured pieces by Anrealage. The Japanese line’s creative director Kunihiko Morinaga sure knows how to redefine the classic dress and trench coat silhouettes, showing pieces with stiff, enlarged sleeves or exaggerated ruching down the front. Though black helmets, painted black faces and sweater material detailed the items, their quite literal focal points were circles on the chest that seemed to be illuminated by a beaming light. The surreal structures and inanimate feel of the line was an artistic take on the relationship between the wearer and the clothing.

Jacquemus seemed to play with the idea of identity in addition to fashion. This season Jacquemus deviated from his poppy spring line to stun the crowd with distorted clothing, masked models and chest exposure. In addition to paper masks and faces drawn on the side of model’s heads, Jacquemus played with slightly altered geometric shapes and their strategic purpose of covering, or not covering, the body. Large grommets acted as utility details to connect pieces of cloth and asymmetrical hemlines of skirts proved the line’s appreciation of style, but the nudity, shielding of the face and camouflage of its features made a much larger statement on inner-struggles and identification.

Jacquemus (photo from Style.com)

Top: Jaquemus; Bottom: Anrealage (photos from Style.com)

March 4th DAY TWO

By Alexa Carlson The second day of Paris Fashion Week centered on luxury, with feather and fur accents, rich fabrics like velvet and satin, and sequin embellishments. Collections weren’t overly opulent in the slightest, despite the extravagant materials used in the looks, rather they possessed a laidback air that provided a fresh juxtaposition. Each take on glamour was different. From sporty, to classic, to edgy looks, Parisian designers had all of the stylistic bases covered.

Alexis Mabille’s collection was equal parts sporty and luxurious, resulting in looks that were both pretty and cool. Fitting with the sporty essence of the show, the models donned heels that laced up like sneakers, while combos like a mohair beanie and brocade coat or a little leather backpack and a fur stole created intriguing ensembles.

The Dries Van Noten collection exuded a darker form of elegance. Many of the looks were accessorized with flower necklaces in deep navy, eggplant, goldenrod and dusty rose. Although there were many luxurious details, the outfits were not contrived. The silhouette of velvet trousers in dusty rose made the look relaxed and almost effortless, even with the boxy cut golden top.

The glamorous thread carried through to Guy Laroche, but this time was far edgier. A black ribbed, bodycon midi dress had its sleeves and sides painted gold. Contrasting the metallic vibes, a more classic twist came at Vionnet, with looks like a peach silk maxi complete with an obi belt.

Dries Van Noten (photo from Style.com)

Top: Guy Laroche, Vionnet, Guy Laroche; Bottom: Alexis Mabille, Dries Van Noten, Alexis Mabille (photos from Style.com)

March 5th DAY THREE

By Phebe Myers Day Three of Paris fashion week showcased the magic that is Parisian fashion with a flash of avant-garde. Sure many designers played with trends, but long gone are the days where any one show looked alike, because in Paris, creativity is what’s in style.

Part of Paris’ storied fashion history comes from the industries ability to restore famed fashion houses with the influx of new blood. Carven and Balmain are two labels that have undergone that transition impeccably in recent years. Thanks to Oliver Rousteing’s obsession with celebrities, Balmain has become something of a household name. This season he showed bright 70s inspired fashion with buckets of fringe and sexy colorblocking to create an almost entirely successful collection. At Carven, a girly French aesthetic was all the rage, with light lavenders, exuberant florals and gigantic black statement necklaces.

Groundbreaking Rick Owens, whose past shows have featured full step teams, showcased mesmerizing metallic gold and silver facepaint on models dressed in oversize dark garb. His avant-garde show was a uniquely Paris moment.

The highlight of the third day of PFW was Lanvin. Almost every season the Lanvin collection is gorgeous, feminine and strong, and this season might have been one of Alber Elbaz’s best. The Lanvin woman wore fringe (of course), but in dark navy and black. Elbaz utilized fringe in fresh and innovative ways, from an impeccable fur to bright fringe accents on pants, the Lanvin collection was utterly gorgeous.

Balmain (photo from Style.com)

Top: Balmain, Carven, Balmain; Bottom: Lanvin, Rick Owens, Lanvin (photos from Style.com)

March 6th DAY FOUR

By Phebe Myers High-end labels are in a constant game of musical chairs, with designers moving around left and right to try to find a perfect fit. Few of those changes have been as successful as two of the designers who showed on the fourth day of Paris Fashion Week; Alexander Wang for Balenciaga and Raf Simons for Dior. Simons’ reign at Dior has been met with almost universal applause as Simons continues to create groundbreaking trend after groundbreaking trend.

For his past couture collection Simons cited David Bowie as a main source of inspiration and that influence could be seen here today. With thigh-high shiny boots (complete with a lucite heel) and phenomenal mod prints, Simons has clearly found his rightful space atop Dior.

Alexander Wang’s collection for Balenciaga was also extremely inspired. Always the grunge enthusiast, the models were clad with tough, Doc Marten-esque boots, but softened with ladylike cuts and fabrics. Wang is rarely one to stray into color, but this collection eased in a few tasteful statements.

After quite the downfall at Dior, John Galliano is the newly appointed head of Maison Margiela, and has taken over quite vehemently. Maison Margiela is now Galliano, with brash, unappealing makeup and distortion, Galliano brings back the idea that beautiful is not always fashionable. It would be hard to describe Galliano’s looks for Margiela as wearable, but his style will always be legendary.

Dior (photo from Style.com)

It takes awhile for designers to hit their stride when taking over a new house, but these three designers, Raf Simons, Alexander Wang and John Galliano seem to have it all under control.

Top: Dior, Maison Margiela, Dior; Bottom: Balenciaga (photos from Style.com)

March 7th DAY FIVE

By Emma Leuman There’s just something about Paris. The city itself is known for love, lust and adventure. Tales of time spent in the City of Lights are written in novels, diaries and seen on the big screen, each carrying with it a sense of the bittersweet, a wish to return someday to the magic of those moments.

Following a similar theme, Parisian designs often carry the same mystique. Parisians have a way of taking utilitarian, simple clothing and making it turn heads. This season, designers looked to the ordinary and the technical for their inspiration. Mugler and Veronique Leroy both utilized grommet holes in their designs. This motif provided a perfect way for these on-the-edge designers to embrace the cutout trend in a more architectural way. At Mugler, grommets were used to show the skin lying beneath, while at Veronique Leroy they were used to add visual interests to shirt seams.

The t-shirt dress is a wardrobe staple for many of the fashion-initiated. Its comfort, ease and ability to remain unwrinkled even when stuffed into a carry-on make it a necessity. Nina Ricci took the basic silhouette of a t-shirt dress and took it up a notch, creating her own iterations in materials that sparkled in the runway lights. Instantly glam, these dresses were the star of her show, indicating that even the most ordinary piece could be a showstopper if given the correct treatment.

Mugler (photo from Style.com)

Top: Reem Acra, Carolina Herrera, Reem Acra; Bottom: Carolina Herrera, Rag & Bone, Carolina Herrera (photos from Style.com)

March 8th DAY SIX

By Victoria Fok Featuring a stunning, dark and mysterious collection, Givenchy showcased some of the strongest looks on Day Six of Paris Fashion Week. Luscious furs and sultry velvet dresses oozed extravagance, while delicate lace dresses with cut-outs and beaded detailing epitomized elegance.

Beautifully tailored jackets with peplums also served as a common trend throughout Ricardo Tisci’s collection, with velvet and fur highlighting the corseted silhouettes.

Concerning accessories, models strutted down the runway with giant septum rings, swinging earrings and gemstone facial decorations completing Tisci’s artistic vision, which he described to Nicole Phelps of Style.com as the “Victorian-chola girl.” Tisci presented a collection that was both artistic and wearable, perfect for his starstudded clientele.

Inspiration from the past was also at play at Chloé, where the 70s had a strong influence. Models strutted down the runway in loose-fitting silhouettes and creative director, Clare Waight Keller utilized sheer and lace fabrics to create bohemian dresses perfect for any free-spirited girl.

While feminine and airy silhouettes ruled the runway, menswear- inspired, tailored maxi-coats and sleek widelegged pants were sprinkled throughout the collection, adding more structure and depth to Chloé’s Fall 2015 line.

Givenchy (photo from Style.com)

Top: ChloĂŠ; Bottom: Givenchy (photos from Style.com)

March 9th DAY SEVEN

By Emma Lueman The masculine-feminine divide has been a fixture in fashion for many years. It seemed as if collections used to fall onto one of these two poles, skewing ultra-feminine or distinctly men’s-inspired. Paris brought ambiguity back into the mix.

At Veronique Branquinho pussy-bow blouses made an appearance. A fixture in sophisticated society, these luxurious tops scream womanly glamour. Manufactured in leather, sheer textiles and even done as tank tops, this style was given an edge by Branquinho. Paired with trousers and cigarette pants, however, added an interestingly masculine vibe.

Juan Carlos Obando took his cues from this debate as well. His structured pieces accentuated broad shoulders, while the color palette he presented was soft.. By adding a peplum to the silhouette, or giving long sleeves a youthful vibe by fashioning them in a bell-shape, Obando mixed aspects that highlight a woman’s curves with those that emphasize the more masculine features of a body.

Finally, Stella McCartney embraced this gender fluidity as well. While her clothes are known to make women feel like women, she also has a tendency to tip toe on the line of femininity. The materials she used in her collection this season were reminiscent of those used in men’s suiting.

In fact, she sent some oversized suits down the runway, nipping them in the waist with a belt to bring attention back to the wearer. The bell shapes she used in her dresses were a nod to the ultra-feminine, while the trousers she showed were pleated and structured, perfectly suitable for a man’s business attire.

Stella McCartney (photo from Style.com)

Top: Juan Carlos Obando, Veronique Branquinho, Juan Carlos Obando; Bottom: Stella McCartney (photos from Style.com)

March 10th DAY EIGHT

By Alyssa Sage Considering the extravagant debuts of Chanel collections in seasons past, the selection of fashion elites in attendance for the French fashion house’s Fall 2015 runway production were arguably unsurprised by the venue space’s grandiose transformation for the highly-anticipated event. The label debuted nearly 100 ensembles in a brasserie set that playfully paid homage to the Parisian aesthetic. Guests worthy of exclusive front row seating were situated at a row of linendraped tables, and to the great delight of Paris Fashion Week’s elite, the makeshift brasserie was fully functioning.

While the unconventional runway format did not allow for optimal viewing of the ensembles, the presentation of the collection was impressive nonetheless. After circulating throughout Brasserie Gabrielle—as creative director Karl Lagerfeld aptly titled the ad hoc restaurant—the models situated themselves on the set, which offered scenes of model elites like Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls casually socializing at the bar post runway-jaunt.

Within the collection, skirt suits were prominent. Their jackets featured symmetrical tiling of highly-textured leather, a technique that personified the classic Chanel quilted handbag. When the skirt suit wasn’t crafted from this quilted pattern, it was juxtaposed with classic textiles and patterns like tweed, plaid, checks and houndstooth.

Another consistency was the sensible two-toned, cap-toed slingbacks. The collection continued to expand as the show wore on, introducing revitalized LBDs, a structured blazer/voluminous feathered dress hybrid and even a few menswear ensembles. Despite the slightly hectic ambiance, Lagerfeld’s designs and venue aesthetic remained on-theme throughout the duration of the runway performance.

Chanel (photo from Style.com)

Top: Chanel; Bottom: Chanel (photos from Style.com)

March 11th DAY NINE

By Emma Leuman For the fashion obsessed, a statement coat is a must-have for fall and winter, and they were absolutely major on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. From fur, to plaid, to python and more, these coats had it all.

Nicolas Ghesquière hit it out of the park with his collection for Louis Vuitton this season. The overall tone of the show was very 60s mod, with coats that ranged from big fluffy leopard print coats to slim pea coats with slick leather accents. Other pieces included lace tops with puffed sleeves, leather minis with dainty gold chain belts, and swingy orange shifts. Smudgy black eyeliner finished off the looks with an edgy vibe.

Meanwhile at Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada continued the pattern mixing she has seemingly favored in recent seasons. Plaids, python and electric orange, patent leather crocodile all came together in a way only Miuccia can style. Short sleeve sweaters were layered over patterned button-ups for an interesting effect. The coats featured in this show were simple A-line silhouettes, but carried all of their character in the various plaid and python combinations they came in.

One collection that was composed of almost entirely coats was Moncler Gamme Rouge. Coats of all shapes and sizes came in combinations of black and white tweeds and plaids, accented with fur and shearling. The looks had a strong equestrian theme so each coat had its own matching tweed helmet. As PFW came to a close, these Parisian designers delivered just what coats that are sure to be seen everywhere once temperatures dive back down in the fall.

Miu Miu (photo from Style.com)

Top: Louis Vuitton Bottom: Moncler Gamme Rouge(photos from Style.com)

MODA