Give me five: the best 5 moments of Paris Women's Fashion Week FW17-18
Paris Women's Fashion Week FW17-18
Fashion
March 9th, 2017
March 9th, 2017
"All women who come to Paris, wherever they come from, let thereselves be contaminated by the allure of this city. Here femininity is strong, sophisticated, minimalist and opulent, but also pervaded by a subtle pleasure for sinful things". Giambattista Valli tells it during the Paris fashion week dedicated to FW17-18. Five designers achieve this through the same amout of intriguing collections.
#1 Balenciaga
Look to the past to find the future. In fashion, it happens often. This time it is the turn of Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga creative director, he turned back toward the work of the fashion house's founder, Monsieur Cristobal. Georgian designers breathes the archival photos, left to settle in the minds of the models, elegant images in their spectacular postures. Then Scales silhouette redesigns volumes and materials. Manipulates the clothes as if they were sculptures asymmetrical, straight-lined and austere cuts. Coats and jackets are made almost capes, diagonally buckling on one shoulder, mimicking the female gesture to wrap in your head to ward off the cold. The skirts are brought to life by their own liner and create unexpected games of volumes, revealing the broken structure or become spindly experimental pencil skirt made of wrapped cars mats. Knitwear is soft, mini patterned dresses are paired with socks by contrasting bright colors and dècolletè "Knife" en pendant. And then, finally, come the evening dresses, Balenciaga reinterpretation of the historic Haute Couture and the figure of Cristobal overlaps with that of Demna. Gvasalia is inspired by models worn by the real in the 60, it recovers silhouettes and fabrics to create large pieces soirÈe with big bows and ruffles as the legendary balloon dress with black and white flounced velvet, all to bring the iconic Bag Bazaar. Standing ovation for the palette of colors (mustard, purple, raspberry, pink, green water) and for accessories: boots-shoes with stiletto heels, Bernie Sanders shoes, the clutch-mirrors, oversized tote.
#2 OFF-WHITE 
Twilight. Skeletal birches with sterile branches and dry leaves. Virgil Abloh, as for the menswear line, chooses a spooky forest to present "Nothing New", the FW17-18 collection. In this evocative location the streetwear attitude, that turn Off-White brand into a cult, becames, one look end after another, a luxurious feminine elegance. While the voice-over of the British artist David Shrigley repeats "Focus on the work, the project and finished artwork and focus on that", Bella Hadid opens the show. Wearing a cropped bolero, high waist pencil skirt with a high slit and high-knee boots. The first of a series of look that revolves around the Prince of Wales declining traditional forms of suits, jackets, trousers and dresses with a modern and subtly sexy style. The plaid pattern gives space to denim. The collaboration between Virgil Abloh and Levi's continues not only with jeans, but also with very short jackets and brindle effect denim suits. Fur stoles, hoodies and hints of blue dissolve into ethereal silk dresses with ruffled sleeves and deep V-necklines, sparkling black sequins, delicate lace and fabrics covered with Swarovski. The piece that is sweeping the fashionistas? The patent leather boots with the ironic inscription "FOR WALKING".
Bibliothèque nationale de France. Three. Two. One. The most exciting and spectacular show of this Paris fashion week starts. Between shelves full of books and a wall of blue lockers, comes out the gang of Rihanna. Joan Smalls, Stella Maxwell, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Lily Donaldson and other models move to the rhythm of an explosive mix of dance floor hits dominated by Die Antwoord and walk directly on the reading tables, between green lamps and closed books. They are cheer leaders, punks, skaters, health goths, nerds, boxers and school girls in oversized clothes. Wear oversize plaid sweatshirts with the hood pulled over the head and unstructured tartan suits, rapper-style trousers and tracksuits, bodysuits and skirts in technical fabrics, bulky sweaters and crop-top, polo preppy and varsity sweaters, extra long or cropped puffa coats, thigh-highs American football boots and caps. Throughout the "F" Fenty, the Puma logo and the cherished numbers to Rihanna: lucky 13 and il 1988, her year of birth. For her third Fenty x Puma collection the singer is inspired by the world of the American high school. Rebellious, plays to break the codes of traditional collegial uniforms, reworking them in streetwear style. "When I was in school, it was always my dream to be able to dress up in whatever I wanted - she explained in an interview - But In Barbados, it was mandatory to wear school uniform, so I had so much fun this season creating these Back To School inspired looks I was in school, I used to dream of being able to dress as I wanted... I've never been in love with a collection more than this one". And if Rihanna says so...
The name tells everything. Afterhomework began as an extracurricular project a couple of teenagers. When they founded the label Pierre Kaczmarek, the artistic director, and his girlfriend Elena Mottola, seamstress and stylist, have about 15 years, but a certain devotion to Martin Margiela, artistic imagination and commercial sensibility cast them among the most interesting young designers to keep an eye on. Arrived at the fifth collection, explore "the balance between the real and fashion worlds", diverting, deconstructing the daily life, the street to get "something strange but coherent, a little bit futuristic and innovative". The result is a series of conceptual and dark silhouettes consist of baggy pants with raw edges, oversize choppy sweatshirts, anti-theft devices such as studs, long shirt dresses worn over jeans, tees embellished with resin appliquÈs made by the artist Camille Pogu, skirts made of upside down jackets belonging to Mottola's grandfather, dresses decorated with pieces of hospital linens.
#5 Miu Miu
Miuccia Prada questioned about the madness of glamour, in front of an uncertain future responds with an exaggerated, fun fashion show, glamour, but in her own way. Everything is deliberately exaggerated, almost fake, it is new and eye-catching. Fur, glamorous, stupid (currently her favorite word). It's the fur, faux and colorful, the undisputed star of the autumn/winter 2017 Miu Miu collection. Lavender, covers the marble stairs, chairs and rationalist walls of the Palais de Jena, as well as the card that invites to the show. Declined in delicious sugary shades invades coats, collars, gloves, hats, sandals and boots. Soft and warm, plush emphasizes, exaggerates, exacerbates the beautiful hyperbole of ugliness so dear to the Signora Miuccia. The feminine silhouettes, poised between inspirations 70s and buorgeois mood, are not afraid to be over the top. In this ostentatious show of glamorous madness coexist trench PVC profiles in black and satin bomber jackets, flared skirts with geometric patterns and sweaters with puffed sleeves encrusted with gold embroidery, macro sequins dresses and trouser suits with vintage phones or cats deco prints and even feathers, crystals, flowers, stripes, parrots...52 look loud, fun, funky.
