ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Tailcoats, leather bodices and textured layering tell the story of a natural metamorphosis. Sarah Burton’s re-imagining of the tuxedo was a nod to ‘Le smoking’ by Yves Saint Laurent, who was the first to offer it on the catwalks in the 1970s. It recalls many stories, the most powerful being the tale of a woman who is aware of her strength and influence in society. The details of Burton’s designs also offer remarkable references to nature, with butterfly wing patterns on dresses and striking insect embroideries in a faultless collection of dresses.
Runway
Paris Fashion Week — Five key runway moments
The best shows were immersive experiences in the transformative power of nature
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Tailcoats, leather bodices and textured layering tell the story of a natural metamorphosis. Sarah Burton’s re-imagining of the tuxedo was a nod to ‘Le smoking’ by Yves Saint Laurent, who was the first to offer it on the catwalks in the 1970s. It recalls many stories, the most powerful being the tale of a woman who is aware of her strength and influence in society. The details of Burton’s designs also offer remarkable references to nature, with butterfly wing patterns on dresses and striking insect embroideries in a faultless collection of dresses.
Image: Getty
CHANEL
Chanel brought the runway to life with a set designed to capture the spirit of autumn, complete with tall trees and rusty coloured leaves. The scenery reflected the country outside Hamburg where Karl Lagerfeld spent his childhood, a memory that came back to him when he saw the set for the first time. The black, grey and beige overtones of the collection added to the nostalgic feel created by the forest backdrop. Slim silhouette predominated, with long coats and puffer jackets with tweed detailing.
Image: Getty
Chanel's AW 18/19 runway show from Paris.
VALENTINO
Pierpaolo Piccioli used huge and dramatic flower prints in his collection, almost negating their delicacy and bringing out a shape representative of boldness and strength. He said flowers are usually known as gentle and romantic, but he wanted to take away the fairytale connotations and make something strong.
Image: Getty
THOM BROWNE
Celebrating the timeless marriage of art and fashion, the greatest fashion photographs of the 1940s and 1950s were brought back to life and merged with Thom Browne’s love for construction. Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, an 18th century portraitist, was the inspiration behind what might be one of Browne’s most remarkable works to date. Dominated by the colour grey, each look in the collection boasted beautifully deconstructed shapes.
SACAI
Deliberate mismatches, layers of different textures, a mix of patterns and an unexpected combination of colour are all the building blocks of Sacai. Chitose Abe incorporates an intelligent use of fabrics in her designs, creating looks that have never been seen before
Image: Getty
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