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.
