Paris Fashion Week RTW Part Two

Part two of Paris Fashion Week. I have loved reading all of your comments about your favorite designers! Keep them coming!

Akris

Albert Kriemler created another beautiful collection for the house of Akris. His inspiration was the pavilion in the Jinhua Architecture Park in China designed by Tatiana Bilbao. The pieces were simple, yet elegant. There were some beautiful coats, evening gowns and day wear pieces. While the WWD staff thought it was a bit too abstract but I thought the pieces were beautifully tailored and very futuristic looking.

Inspiration

Balenciaga

Nicolas Ghesquière presented a rather subdued but elegant collection for Balenciaga this season. There were some beautiful architectural looking skirts paired with tight shimmery tops as well as baggy satin pants and belted jackets. It was a beautiful collection but slightly disappointing. Not a huge fan of the loose fitting floral dresses that would make anyone look like a house! It just felt like I was looking at variations of the same ideas and pieces over and over again. What did you think of this collection?

Balmain

Another solid collection put forth by Christophe Decarnin for the house of Balmain. One of the few designers who didn't terrify me with wacky shoulder pads. These were a key element in this collection but they were cool and chic and even I would consider giving them a go. There were sequins, big buckled boots, and tight fitting tuxedo jackets. One of my favorite looks of the collection was a blue sequined skirt with a skin tight jacket (pictured below). There was also a s short, tight fitting dress with a cool variation on the sweet heart neckline and a train (featured left) ! Loved this one.

Comme Des Garcons

Another fabulous Japanese designer. While I was not wowed with her collection for H & M; I was curious to see what Rei Kawakubo would come up with this season. I often find her collections a little bit too off the wall. Not this one! It was more light hearted and featured some great and even wearable looks. More white painted faces here. Not a huge fan of the veils but the hair was magnificent! The designers have been trying hard to come up with some really creative hairstyles this season. There were some cool coats like these ones (featured left and right). They were definitely a highlight of the collection. She also included a bit of plaid which we haven't seem much of this season. Perhaps we overdid it a little last season?

Ann Demeulmeester

Ann Demeulmeester's collection was definitely a dark one. The palette was mostly centered around blacks with a few whites here and there. It was great to see some men on the runway too. They looked utterly fabulous. Now if only more men would dress this way. Mind you, I do have to say that in Japan, the men do tend to get dressed up. They wear beautiful shoes and well fitted garments. Leah and I are always astonished at how great they look! Back to the collection. The models were also wearing what looks to me like feathered head pieces. There were boldly draped tops and dresses paired with skin tight leggings and pants. There were even some great knit wear pieces. I felt like I was looking at a whole new black with this collection!

Christian Dior

I could not help but include all of these images from the Christian Dior collection. It was an absolute stunner and I would have to say one of the top shows of the week. The fabulous John Galliano said he was inspired by 18th Century Persian miniatures . Look at the runway! It would have definitely been a site to see. The gowns were magnificent and accessorized with beautiful jewelry. Everything seemed to fit perfectly in this show. The jackets were flawless and often included unique button placements, fur embellishments and embroidering. Galliano kept with the loose fitting trend but the garments had shape and look like they would have floated down the runway. When he did include a bubble skirt, it was paired with a more fitted top. It was full of color and glamor and represented everything that fashion is!

Dries Van Noten

The Dries Van Noten collection was inspired by Irish figurative painter Francis Bacon. While many designers are sticking with basic variations of black, Dries Van Noten opted for a more colorful palette. These pieces were definitely more light hearted and wearable than others seen this week. There were some great blazers and autumn trenches, elegant pants and wild prints to mix things up a little! In an interview with WWD it was explained that “Bacon’s subjects are disturbing, but so, also, his use of color is disturbing.” Check out the inspiration image below and click on the wiki link for more information.

Inspiration
Click here for more on Francis Bacon.
Image via Wikipedia

Gareth Pugh

This year Gareth Pugh decided to show his collection by large screen slide projection! The video featured model Natasa Vojnovic. It was a very futuristic and exciting collection. The models had dramatic white painted faces and were accessorized with some over the top hats. He topped this all off with knee high space looking boots and a lot of shimmery fabrics draped elegantly around the models. What did you think of this show? You must watch his out of the world video that coincides with his show! Click below!

Givenchy

Ricardo Tisci pulled off another great show for the house of Givenchy. It was all tassels galore at this show. There were some magnificent head pieces, tasseled footwear and accentuated shoulder pads. There were even some great leather pieces and architectural looking separates. Some designers sabotage their collections with too much of one theme. Not here! Everything was done tastefully and there was just enough drama and glamor to keep me excited to see what he will come up with for next season!

This number looks like it's right out of Victoria Beckham's closet don't you think?!