PARIS – Junya Watanabe in black in white
Junya Watanabe very graphically expressed himself in his S/S 2010 collection. The collection was a black and white exclamation point in a season of color and beige-y neutrals. Even his show location followed his graphic expression. The technically beautiful facade of the Institut de Monde Arabe located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris is another engineering masterpiece and it’s graphic beauty is other worldly much like Mr. Watanabe’s collection. This building was opened in 1987 and designed by Jean Nouvel. It’s importance was that it was devoted to the relationship of Arab culture within France. It’s southern facade shown above is constructed to resemble the traditional Arab latticework screens realized in glass and steel. Each frame has a diaphragm that opens and closes and regulates light into the building depending on the hour.
all photos – DChen
Even the interior of the basement room where the show was held, with its wide white columns and the mysterious shadow casting lighting, added to the overall vivid effect.
His silhouette was reed thin for the most part. He gave women the perfectly tailored slim pantsuit for spring. When they’ve had enough of the soft and the flowing prints and silks, they will want to reach for the perfect jacket and the perfect pant. His tailoring was superbly strong this season. Slick in solid wool/silks or in graphic patterns and checks, these are the jackets to have.
He added very intricately worked checks of every dimension in tops in jerseys and silks and did his turn with the all important white shirt for next spring.
The effective use of cloth head wraps into sculptural shapes added to the black and white positive / negative dimensions he artfully achieved. The collection was superb and it gave me some of the most beautiful photos of the season. Inoubliable, these images …..
As Fashion Week in Paris rolled on, there were just times with the schedule that we had to choose between a showroom appointment and a runway show. Towards mid and end of the schedule, it becomes increasingly harder to do both. We had to miss the Viktor & Rolf show because of a prescheduled appointment at The Park Hyatt Hotel. At 10:00 am on a rainy Tuesday morning, we made our way to the new Viktor & Rolf showroom hidden away in a courtyard on the very busy Boulevard Montmartre.
The most beautiful portion of their show came at the end…. when a series of tulle gowns in various colors paraded one after the other. Pale blue, yellow, rose, pink….. not your ordinary gowns. Not for this duo…. these became sculptures, they appeared to have been cut with a chainsaw much like an ice sculpture would have been shaved.
One would think that the display of mannequin-ed tulle gowns would have been enough…. I then noticed the beautiful floral adorned shoes they had created for their runway show. Fussy floral bouquets to the untrained eye…. but at very close range, which you have the privilege of at your writing appointment, I realized they were completely made of colored latex. Viktor & Rolf never cease to amaze with their quirky sense of creativity.
A note to finish… Friday evening, while passing through the Meurice Hotel, it was a very comforting sight to see Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren having a quiet dinner together at the Restaurant le Dali, designed by Philippe Starck. Just the two of them. No entourage, no assistants, no adoring fans. An early dinner together, quietly celebrating a great show that took place at 1:30pm that afternoon. I smiled while thinking to myself that even the celebrated, having just put on a huge show, just want a quiet moment to themselves every once in awhile . Bravo.
PARIS – Dries Van Noten – global chic
Dries Van Noten returned to foreign soil for inspiration for S/S 2010. One stop in India, another in Japan, followed by a final landing in Paris to wrap it all together and give his return to ethnic influences a touch of Parisian chic. The rich jeweled colors in shantung silks, ikat prints, miao prints, embroidered silks were embellished lightly with stones and beads. Mr. Van Noten revisited his well known ethnic aesthetic but with a lean towards 1930’s Paris.
Sensually wrapped sari dresses and skirts with tails made well known their origins, but looked modern and right if worn in any city around the world. Dries Van Noten’s always capably mixes the richest of colors and prints with his very adept hand.
all photos – DChen
He thoughtfully paired some of his boldest pieces with a simple khaki pant to give his collection every day relevance. The clothes are very present but never over the top. Always strong but never too much. True global chic……………
photos-DChen
John Galliano haunted the closets of some of the brightest film stars from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s for his S/S 2010 collection show. Out marched the ghosts of Hollywood past in all their glamour. Bias satin, chiffon, tulle and jersey dresses and gowns floated alongside signature Galliano sportswear pieces like a khaki eyelet cotton balmacaan, a flirty trench skirt and a souped up military jacket.
As previously reported, these femmes fatales looks were eerily projected down the runway by a red laser light as large bubbles floated from the ceiling and burst into puffs of smoke when the alighted on the ground or the clothes themselves. A true spectacle. Smoke, red lasers, bubbles…… but no one takes a bow like John Galliano, himself. His bow is usually a show in itself….
photos- DChen
The last word about Mr. Galliano’s show….. other than the fact it poured rain and the roof of the Halle Freyssinet was leaking on certain distinguished members of the fashion elite and that a certain one of these lesser elite was nearly shoved out of the way so hard that he nearly fell on his face while exiting the show by Prince’s bodyguards while clearing a path for his purple highness who was actually clad all in red that night. A mention must be made of the incredible sculptures with pearl heels the models catapulted themselves down the runway on…. outrageously beautiful and not one model seemed to have a problem walking in these concoctions! 
What more is there left to say?
YOHJI YAMAMOTO revisited…..
Since Yohji Yamamoto’s runway show, we’ve been hitting the streets of Paris at a manic pace, traveling from showroom appointment to showroom appointment. Wednesday, the schedule included writing the collections of Commes des Garcons, Junya Watanabe and Mr. Yamamoto. By circumstance, it was Japanese designers day. The headliners of Japan. Scattered throughout the rest of the week, we also had collection writing appointments with Sacai by Chitose Abe, Undercover by Jun Takahashi, Toga by Yasuko Furuta, If Six was Nine. Japanese designers have long held an important presence here in Paris since Mr. Yamamoto and Ms. Kawakubo first forged the way in the 80’s
I had mentioned a long duster coat that so caught me off guard during the Yamamoto runway show that I failed to capture a good photo. There I found it in the showroom…. swaying elegantly on a black metal rack in the middle of the showroom. It’s beauty was silencing. Silk that has been laser cut and distressed to look like lace from afar. It seems as if an army of moths had gathered to eat away at the fabric.
all photos : DChen
This piece is high on my list as one of the top pieces from the spring / summer collections. Delivery in stores February 2010.
John Galliano held his show last evening at the Halle Freyssinet out in the 13th arrondissement. Built in 1927, it was an engineering marvel as it was one of the first structures built of pre-stressed concrete and glass ceilings. http://www.halle-freyssinet.com/ It poured just before the show but that did not keep the crowds from trudging through the puddles. Not even Prince.
An ode to silent film stars but on a hitech runway pierced by laser light and gigantic bubbles that fell from the ceiling and burst into smoke when touched or alighted on the ground. Gloria Swanson’s voice from Sunset Boulevard started the show….
A post of the runway show itself to come. Here are a few photos teasers….
PARIS – Celine
Phoebe Philo’s return to the runway was probably one of the MOST anticipated this season in Paris. In fact… people have been waiting almost a good year since news of her signing on as the designer/creative director of this French fashion house that was created in the 1940’s but who’s ready-to-wear came into existence in the 60’s. Celine is currently owned by LVMH. Ms. Philo’s was last seen at the helm of Chloe during it’s enormous period of success but exited approximately 4 years ago to focus on her family life.
Phoebe Philo presented a collection that was confident, intelligent and the word utilitarian was thrown around quite a bit. She chose to say it like it is…. not just clothes that women will dream about, but actually want to wear. Hence the term “utility chic”, but there was nothing mundane about the collection… it was sportswear in the strongest sense, put together with sophisticated ease ….. simple in its lines but owning a very clear presence.
all photos – DChen
The collection was a study of beige, white, nude and black with the smallest shot of an off-blue. Brief leather dresses, tops and skirts added voltage in a eye pleasing way to the welcome calm of her collection. The silhouettes were spare but delivered a vision that was so much stronger than all the ruffles and volume and prints everywhere else. Ms. Philo chose to insert one single look in a mixed stripe print. This punctuated the level of thought that went into her debut collection for this label.
Phoebe Philo’s message clearly stood apart from much of what has been taking place here in Paris. I guarantee you that it will be the most praised and Celine will be at the top of every retailer’s, as well as, editor’s list for the what’s hot and must have next spring. She has managed to make a mark in both worlds, cause a splash without overfilling the bowl. It left you wanting MORE …
PARIS – Yohji Yamamoto
It was 8:30 pm Friday evening and the fashion gang found themselves outside on the streets at 155 rue Saint Martin in front of the Paris showroom of Yohji Yamamoto. Like many designers, the show was taking place in a much more scaled down, intimate locale. The retailers and the press squeezed in through the small entrance only to find themselves faced with the challenge of the very tight seating arrangements. Never one to complain, I happily found my seat and prepared for the 30 minute sit for the show to begin….
all photos-DChen
Mr. Yamamoto gave us a very well edited 32 look show that incorporated all the elements he loves. Beautiful jackets, romantic white shirts, long elegant skirts… the pleasant surprise was the fresh addition of the short skirt and a bit more skin. Nothing vulgar…. never chez Yohji. just a bit more shown at the neck and the shoulder and of course legs, legs, legs. His square cut necklines and off the shoulder looks were sensual but done with restraint. The Yamamoto woman has two faces for s/s 2010… the usual elegantly, cerebral side and a side that is hip, present and ready to roll. The latter was evident in an off the shoulder double breasted jacket worn with a mini and a brief leather motorcycle jacket paired with a side pleated leather mini strode confidently down the runway. The hair and makeup all a slight blur as you would imagine she would look if she had just taken a spin astride a Harley. 
Again, just when you think Mr. Yamamoto has shown you all he could, out floats down the runway a long duster coat which appeared to be laser distressed cut to resemble lace. I didn’t get a great photo of this beautiful creation as I think I was momentarily paralyzed by its beauty. ( center of image below )
This collection broke away from the usual serene, intello and very precise orchestration of Mr. Yamamoto’s usual shows… this one had VERVE. The medley of familiar old songs …rockin’ oldies to old favorites, had the crowd’s mood boosted way beyond the very small confines of 155 rue Saint Martin.
PARIS – Rick Owens
American designer, Rick Owens, who makes his atelier and showroom now in Paris on the Place du Palais Bourbon, has become an integral part of the Paris fashion stage. ( I remember buying his collection, when he travelled to New York from LA, in a single room at the Mercer Hotel way back when ) His once dominant goth aesthetic has blossomed this season to bordering on lightness and toeing the line of softness. The master of darkness doesn’t disappoint his disciples completely… his collection began with a look of geometry, asymmetry, straight lines and points. A very strong sleeveless leather jacket with asymmetrical zips and triangular peaks at the shoulders came marching out in black layered over grays. This gave way immediately to black and white combinations that segued into the nude/natural, more beautiful shades of gray and pure whites. His dress and skirt shapes took on a sexier tone. A nude one shoulder top paired with a black slim skirt was stark and exact but in their way…. sexy.
all photos-DChen
Of the 42 looks, there were only 3 pant looks… definite focus on the legs and his new leg wrap sandal. The beautifully constructed duster coats sprinkled though out the lineup were some of the most beautiful pieces of the collection. The absolute most beautiful pieces, however, and I swear I did hear a few intakes of breaths when the exited, were the incredibly lofty cloud-like dresses in silver, bronze and my personal favorite look of the show… in white.
This collection was a great moving forward for Mr. Owens. He was true to his aesthetic but really opened up…. lightened up…. eased up…. and opted to play with the idea of pretty. One of his strongest collections yet.
PARIS – Balenciaga s/s 2010
I’m already on day 2 in Paris. What happened between 23 September, and now, has been a blur. I was in Milan for 4 days and managed not a single post. The condensed trip to Milan and the wicked pace of showroom appointments and order writing left me very little time to even think about writing about what I was seeing. I will have to do a recap of Milan after the fact. I feel if I do not get right onto Paris while it’s fresh… I fear that I will be a week behind forever. So onward…..
photos-DChen
Nicolas Ghesquiere has long held the frontrunner position for Paris fashion week. The spring/summer 2010 Balenciaga collection was shown at the Hotel de Crillon, once more. Mr. Ghesquiere delivers and seldom ever disappoints with his prophetic vision. His collection was a parade of urban and futuristic forces. Leather was dominant and his use of color spliced into his presentation was very well done. Rather than hard edged, his beautiful use of bold color strokes gave the collection life and dimension. His sleek, futuristic silhouette was back after last season’s detour. The lady is gone but the woman marches forward. The pants were supersonic slim ranging from motocross leather to printed fabric. The skirts were all short… some faux wrapped and some pleated. Of special note were the skirts towards the end of the show. Sliced pleated minis in a melange of colors were absolutely breathtaking. Unsure of what material they were constructed of but the impact of color and the engineered cuts were really a visual treat.
photos-DChen
Mr. Ghesquiere sets the bar quite high for the week to come here in Paris. I applaud him for his vision and his consistency. It was a great collection to start the week. Bravo, encore. We have our writing appointment in the showroom next Tuesday. Looking forward to seeing the clothes up even closer and prolonging the pleasure.
