Rick Owens – Beauty and the Beast
photo-DChen
The Theatre National de Chaillot was the setting…. at the Trocadero you have the most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower from its windows. Right before the start of Rick Owens show, heavy velvet curtains were drawn to erase any trace of the beautiful late afternoon sunlight and Gustave Eiffel’s iron lattice tower. A very good move since sun and the usually dark tone of Rick Owens’ collections don’t usually go together. But this is a good thing. The runway was then softly lit as if to create a dark moonscape or some other dim planet. Out marched a tribe of women… from what land or what planet, for all it matters, was not all that apparent. The music was ominous and the women were powerful. More than powerful. A superior race that was assembled to show off Mr. Owens fall/winter collection that had some of the strongest coats of the season. My photos of the runway show were dismal because of the obscure but well intentioned barely there lighting. The showroom photos below are much more benign but do not capture an iota of the great mood of the runway show.
Above is the quintessential Rick Owens washed leather bomber jacket with the asymmetric zip closure
Three of the hottest coats… the first one is in shearling, note the new wasp waist silhouette of the second and classic washed wool version of the third… always with his trademark second skin fit of the sleeve.
The must haves: washed leather top, alpaca silk knit cardigan and washed wool flannel cuffed cropped pant.
The new color of the season…. of which he can only come up with…. DNA DUST.
The shearling cylindrical handbag and the zigzag pattern tights were very original accessories offered as icing.
All in all, for someone who doesn’t march with the rest, Mr. Owens has come up with yet another
big conquest of a collection.
( all photos: DChen )
YOHJI YAMAMOTO – true to himself
Yohji Yamamoto managed to dust himself off amidst all his company’s financial woes and show a beautiful collection that was so true to himself. He chose to show at the Lycee Carnot, quickly becoming a fashion venue when all the students have closed their books for the day and gone home. This beautiful high school on boulevard Malesherbes has been the site of many a fashion shows as of late. Although it has a roofed courtyard, the cold was close to unbearable. The YY team provided fleece blankets, in black of course, on every seat to help keep the fashion flock from developing hypothermia.
Mr. Yamamoto presented all things familiar of his world that we have come to appreciate. The beauty lies in its simplicity this season. His classics recut and striving for a sense of purity . The color palette was his serious staple of navy, black and white. As always, there were the most beautiful coats and this season with exposed sculptural seams. He played with volume but in the most controlled way. He, too, was fascinated by the fuller skirt silhouette but again… so in control. The standouts were his strapless dress. He didn’t wander into new or unknown territory but sometimes, that can be appreciated as well.
all photos – DChen
