Evolving heritage to suit
contemporary fashion takes talent, inventing a powerful legacy
all over again is a downright art - a case in point proven at
the Valentino and Chanel fashion shows Tuesday in Paris.
At Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli
debuted 84 fall-winter 2015 looks inspired by two women who were
both artists and muses - Emilie Floge to Austrian symbolist
painter Gustav Klimt and Celia Birtwell to her husband,
legendary designer Ossie Clark, as well as British artist David
Hockney.
A composition of black-and-white monasticism and Klimtian
aesthetic provided the contours along which the two designers
evolved the concept of "sensuality and independence" as embodied
by the two women.
Floge, a couturier who rejected the mandatory corsets of
her era, was the woman behind the collection's A-line
silhouettes, the velvet coats and gold-leaf designs on fox furs.
Birtwell, who is still alive and lives in London,
collaborated with the designers on a number of motifs, including
a dragon pattern.
The collection provided new offerings from Chiuri and
Piccioli - notably the fisherman knit sweaters styled with
A-line skirts and dresses, which gave a casual kick to their
refined aesthetic.
Yet the duo worked with their trademark regal-monastic
silhouette of small shoulders, slim waist and round neck to
send out a message of elegance embracing a wide variety of
looks.
These ranged from streamlined black leather capes over
tailored pants to tunic dresses in 10 different kinds of lace -
a permanent feature of new Valentino collections.
Indeed the Roman fashion house has protected the technique
used to create its lace with a patent.
Severity and romanticism flirted in daywear as well
red-carpet offerings including a black net gown embroidered with
gold, patchworked with mink, and a stunning skirt decorated with
gold-edged leather and chiffon inserts.
A surprise wrapping up this complex, far-reaching show was
provided by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson who hit the catwalk in a
tent in the Tuileries doing a "Zoolander" strut, reportedly to
announce they were filming a sequel.
At Chanel, the brasserie Gabrielle - named after the
founder- provided the perfect all-French setting to debut 97
looks restyling Chanel to its core.
The background was as impressive as the set design of past
shows, including a women's rights demonstration, a supermarket
and an art gallery, among others.
Yet the set at the Grand Palais on Tuesday did not distract
from the looks on the menu - a huge selection with enough
tweeds, wool, padded jackets and bags to recreate the melange of
visual offerings that make up the essence of the Chanel
aesthetic.
It is no coincidence that Lagerfeld brushed up from the
Coco Chanel archive for the very first time black-and-cream
1950s toe-capped slingback shoes donned by models on all of the
almost 100 outings, an unprecedented move in his 30-year tenure.
And the show was a rendition of the fashion house's
strongest calls - with a substratum of contemporary
inspirations.
It embraced drop-waist boucle dresses, a navy chiffon
blouse styled over a lace skirt, wrap skirts and a tweed and
raffia feathered overcoat.
A few quirky notes were also on the menu, including the
handbag designed to resemble a pile of ceramic plates.
There were whiffs of the 1980s with quilted leather puffer
jackets and many references to the 1950s.
There were bold new recipes, like the 'girl' bag designed
to resemble a classic Chanel jacket and leather sweatpants.
The rest was sublimely straightforward Chanel by Lagerfeld
- whether delivered in the form of a tweed coat over a
houndstooth skirt or a seasonal version of the timeless 2.55
Chanel bag transformed by the designer into a fashion cult.
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