Hedi Slimane is short and shimmery at Paris fashion week
Lots of tiny sequinned skirts and dresses were teamed with knee-high boots and heavy kohl-lined eyes in the designer’s fourth ready-to-wear collection for the illustrious fashion house.
Famed for his skinny tailoring, Slimane has been the talk of the fashion world since being appointed in 2012 and proceeding to produce a series of very un-Yves Saint Laurent collections, described as celebrations of the “rich rock chick” by industry bible Women’s Wear Daily.
Monday’s collection lacked the grunge of a year ago, but for now at least Slimane seems to be sticking to his rock chick aesthetic.
British designer Stella McCartney, meanwhile, offered a collection of modern, feminine silhouettes for autumn/winter 2014/15.
Singer Rihanna was flamboyant in the front row in fuchsia lipstick and orange dark glasses with more star power on the catwalk from model Cara Delevingne in an asymmetrical knit dress with overlong sleeves.
The designer gave zips a decorative rather than merely functional quality with other looks featuring suspended fringing draped sensually over the body.
Trousers in claret, emerald green and grey were narrow and stirruped, contrasting with McCartney’s oversized parkas, while tie-dye made an appearance in two looks including a sexy grey, blue and white silk dress.
Footwear was masculine and sporty with squared off-toes and wooden platforms.
At Leonard, Chinese-born French designer Yiqing Yin impressed with a debut collection using traditional house prints which she said she had remixed and recoloured.
The collection was full of long, fluid silhouettes likely to be popular in Asia where the French brand has more than 100 shops.
“I really drew on the (Leonard) archives, especially the 1960s and 1970s which I found more interesting (and) modern than what has been done recently. There was more energy, it was more international,” she told AFP backstage.
The Leonard woman was a “nomad for modern times”, she said.
The designer, who left China for France at the age of four, had until recently been known largely for her experimental couture style.
But she won plaudits last year when she dressed “Amelie” star Audrey Tautou for her turn as mistress of ceremonies at the Cannes film festival.
The fluttery, micro-pleated “Absinthe” dress in mint organza and silk chiffon she created for the occasion was described as a “work of art” by fashion website Red Carpet Fashion Awards.
Elsewhere on day seven of Paris fashion week, Giambattista Valli said his collection in a palette of black, white, pink and red had been all about tenderness and passion.
“They were tender colours (pink) and red is passion. She’s always in love — this woman in the red dress,” he said.
The designer dressed Penelope Cruz for the Oscars on Sunday — in a pink one-shouldered gown with a black bow belt.
With a number of looks in fur, Valli added that this was something he never shied away from.
“I think it’s part of the wardrobe of a woman. If women choose to wear (fur), I am totally for freedom in life,” he said.
Paris fashion week nears the end of its nine-day ready-to-wear marathon on Tuesday with Karl Lagerfeld’s latest Chanel collection.
The collections finally wrap up on Wednesday when ex-Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere makes his debut at Louis Vuitton following the departure of Marc Jacobs last year.
