Paris Fashion Week Ready To Wear Part One

Paris Fashion Week! There have been some great photos turning up of candid shots of models, journalists and fashion industry members on blogs like The Sartorialist, Style and the City, and Face Hunter. There were definitely some great pieces presented this week at Paris Fashion Week this time around. Some trends that are beginning to take form are: big shoulder pads, black black and more black, over sized blazers and cropped leather jackets. It was really exciting to see some of these shows on WWD. I selected a few pieces from my favorite designers to be published in two separate posts. Hope you all had a magnicifent weekend. I had my birthday bash and will try to post a photo or two. One week until Tokyo Fashion Week!

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gauthier decided to go with a night club theme for this year's runway show. The boy meets girl theme was definitely evident with the oversized suits, slicked back hair and cigarette holders. X's were a big theme in the collection as well. Like Nina Ricci, Lacroix featured these bizaro face mask things that I just didn't get. It takes away attention from the clothes and seems unnecessary. What is your take on this?

Christian Lacroix

What a beautiful collection done by Christian Lacroix! There was a good mix of black jackets and skirts paired with colorful prints and furs to top it all off! Models wore elegant up do buns and were accessorized with dainty strappy heels. Lace was also a big theme in the collection. There were lace tights and dresses with lace embellishments. A great show!

Lanvin

One word..fabulous! This perfectly describes the collection presented by Alber Elbaz for the house of Lanvin. It is unfortunate that the pictures turned out so washed out. It definitely takes aways from the beauty of the clothes. This is perhaps due to the fact that the runway was designed to look like freshly rained on asphalt. The looks were beautifully tailored and chic. Models wore booties, black hair pieces and long gloves. The pieces were simple in design but would flatter any figure at any time of the day. Bravo!

Nina Ricci

What a stunning collection presented by Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci. It seems like this may be his final collection of work for the Nina Ricci house but he sure went out with a bang! While I was not a huge fan of the hats that many of the models donned. I have not been a huge fan of the oversized eighties looking blazers that have been popping up on runways everywhere as of late but these were fabulous! There were also some great cropped leather jackets and suits. Save the best for last, his sculpted gowns. They were eye catching and elegant! I wonder who he will design for next. They are surely losing a a great talent. Thoughts?

Emanuel Ungaro

Designer Esteban Cortazar presented a magnificent collection for Emanuel Ungaro. I loved this collection. It was full of bright colorful dresses and skirts and wild polkadot prints and tights. I loved the puffy skirts and skin tights blazers with tights and sandals look. There were also some more architectural looking pieces with great pleating that were eye catching and elegant. There were also some great leather jackets and blouses. Check out the cute clutches many of the models are holding as well!

Giambattista Valli

I thoroughly enjoyed the show that Giambattista Valli presented at Paris Fashion Week. There were many elegant and timeless pieces that would stand the test of time. The lighting and runway were magnificent. I was surprised that WWD was not as fond of the collection. The staff said that the collection shows that "Valli’s vision, marked by grand formality, resists modernity." What did you think?

Vivienne Westwood

This year Vivienne Westwood was inspired by artist
Andrea Montegna who was a Venetian Renaissance painter and student of Roman Archaeology. Her collection was wild as usual and full of crazy colors, tutus and Pamela Anderson! I have to say that I was a little disappointed that she decided to use her in her ad campaigns and runway shoes but I guess it brought her some attention and created some press hype. I definitely wasn't a fan of some of the crazy socks that she paired with the looks but this is often the case with designers. Many of the looks would look better off on their own. There were some crazy prints, wacky tights and off the wall shoes. The whole collection was organized chaos and very entertaining to look at!

One of Montegna's pieces.

Junya Watanabe

I chose to feature Junya Watanabe's collection because it was just so unique and creative. The collection was presented to Puccini's Madame Butterfly and Tosca. I am not a huge fan of the puffy jacket but there was something about the way the collection was presented and the way the clothes fell on the models. Some of the pieces looked like ocean waves. The collection consisted mostly of draped black pieces, tights and oxfords. The hairstyles were out of this world! They looked like black balls of fire placed high atop the models' heads. The models faces were also painted white. What's your take on this collection?

Yohji Yamamoto

With Tokyo Fashion Week rapidly approaching, I have become increasingly interested in Japanese Fashion Designers. Yohji Yamamoto has been one of them. While he is not presenting at Tokyo Fashion Week, it was great to see some of his magnificent designs for this year. The collection consisted mostly of black and red. The majority of the black pieces were paired with red shoes or red panels peeking out of large jackets with cool cuts. The models wore their hair in messy buns and pony tails that featured cool geometric patterns and red hair spray. The finale included five models wearing red dresses and jackets and red shoes gathering in a circle. It must have been very magical to see this show live! It's unfortunate that he won't be showing at Tokyo Fashion Week!

Yves Saint Laurent

Stefano Pilati presented some solid pieces for the upcoming fall season. The models were wearing sky high black pumps with cool criss crossing straps. Their hair was tied back tightly and the accessories were kept elegant and simple. There was a large collection of leather separates, dresses and even a one piece in this collection. There were also some great suits in black and grey pin stripe. There were also a several high waisted and long, tight grey skirts paired with beautiful crisp white blouses that were elegant and very versatile. It was a great collection and good to see that Pilato is continuing the legacy of the fabulous Yves Saint Laurent.