Smart sexy

Fashion season is on its last lap with a final round of shows in Paris this week. The predictable, overtly sexy looks of the Milan catwalk were exchanged for the thinking woman's brand of sex appeal in the City of Lights . Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf chose not merely to show their collection, but to entertain weary fashionista's with a song and dance – literally. After being entertained by a ballroom dancers' spin around the catwalk and a song or two from Rufus Wainright, models made their way across the floor with stars in their eyes. Or, rather, on their lapels, décolleté's and hemlines. Deconstructed tailored men's shirts and slim cigarette pants alternated with shirt dresses and tulle skirts in a monochromatic palette of predominantly black, white and nude. The designers played with the concept of fabric fluidity by including a great deal of silk fringing throughout the collection. The female tuxedo was taken to new heights with a sheer nude and black bodice and skinny black pants adorned with stars and crystal appliqué. The practicality of it all is questionable, though decidedly Viktor & Rolf in execution.

On Wednesday, Nicholas Ghesquière took us to a galaxy far, far away with his futuristic take on spring summer 2007 for Balenciaga. Models wore goggle glasses and sported leggings embroidered with pieces of copper, slim trousers, spacey reinforced shoulders, patent and leather mesh dresses, latex dresses and floaty tunics paired with deconstructed vests. Ghesquière has completely abandoned the round shapes of the previous season. “I wanted to let go of round shapes,” he told the New York Times. “Round doesn't exist anymore.” The silhouette is now longer, elongated, almost compressed, with shoulders pointed and shooting upwards like a pair of Dr Spock ears. The sleeves were separated from the shoulders, thereby merely accentuating them. The designer was clearly inspired by futuristic films. It was about a whole different type of warrior chic, as demonstrated by a series of copper mesh dresses and latex leggings. Come next season, hip youngsters will no doubt be swathing themselves in leather, latex and chrome.

4 October 2006

Paris menswear roundup

The mood for Spring Summer 2007 menswear from the Parisian catwalks is relaxed and refined. Luxe sportswear replaced the slick tailoring of last season and elegant casualwear prevailed. Lanvin, which Drapers deemed the show of the week, showed unstructured safari jackets, washed leather biker jackets and soft layered knits. On par with Milan menswear, colours were smoky and fabrics washed.

Paul Smith sent pastel shirts and English checks down his runway. Suits were loosely tailored and came in white, pink and Smith's trademark pinstripes. Ice cream colours, patent belts and printed ties shows Smith had lost none if his English flair. Dior Homme received mixed reactions with ultra skinny leather trousers and jeans on show. The look has been around for some seasons and Hedi Slimane, the label's creative director, loosened up knits to update the look. Metallics made a resurgence and translated from the women's shows to next season's men's collections. Get ready for all things shiny next season, from trousers and jackets, to lurex tops and even gold corsages, as seen by Louis Vuitton.

24 July 2006

Pret à Porter attracts more French buyers

The Parisian fashion trade fair Pret à Porter, which concluded its 101st edition last week, saw the number of French visitors increase by 2 percent. With a total of 41.085 visitors during the four days, 59.1 percent of visitors were French. The number of foreign visitors dropped 2.1 percent, with the biggest decrease concentrated in Spain and Germany . The PAPP attributes this to the coinciding CPD and Bread and Butter fairs.

This may be a disappointment for the PAPP's organisation, whose goal is to increase the international character of the event and attract an ever-increasing amount of foreign buyers. The fair's presence in New York and Tokyo with The Train and Livingroom respectively did prove a very effective marketing instrument. The attendance in Paris of US buyers increased by a whopping 21 percent and 5.6 percent more Japanese returned to the PAPP.

La Boutique Performante, a forum where buyers could be educated on issues such as buying strategies, was a great success with more than 1000 participants. The premiere of Autre Monde – Autre Mode, the newly introduced ethical fashion segment, also proved successful.

www.pretparis.com
10 February 2006

Pret à Porter Paris focuses on international growth

What is the next logical step for a fashion trade fair that covers 60.000 square meters and counts 1500 participating brands per season? The Pret à Porter Paris, which concluded its 101st edition this Sunday, does not aim to become any bigger, only better and more international in character. The fair's organisation is working hard on its international growth. The percentage of non-French participants has risen from 44 percent to 60 percent in the past five years. Momentarily, the majority of foreign participants come from Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, North Korea and the Netherlands. With 44 percent of visitors currently from outside France, the PAPP aims to raise this number to 60 percent within the next three years.

Since two years, organisers of the PAPP have also been organising a smaller, upmarket trade fair in New York called ‘The Train'. “It is geared towards the niche market and consists of upmarket brands,” says director Hervé Huchet. “A select number of PAPP participants also participate in the New York fair. Reactions have been very positive. It is an ideal way for European brands to gain exposure in the US market. A direct result of this initiative has also been that more US buyers are attending the PAPP, so this has proven to be an effective marketing tool. The same goes for our trade fair in Tokyo; since then more Japanese buyers have been visiting the PAPP.”

The success of the ‘The Train' has also led to the plans for a second, more commercial trade fair in New York.

The main goal of the fair is to inform buyers about trends and developments in ladies' fashion. “Our mission is to be more reactive and to educate buyers,” says Huchet. “We have therefore dedicated a section of the fair to ethical fashion. We found that buyers know very little about this subject and therefore felt compelled to educate them.”

In order to strengthen the educative character of the fair, the Boutique Performante was moved to a more prominent location closer to the entrance. Here, the visitor could be informed on purchasing and store management techniques, sales and promotion activities. It proved to be a successful formula, with the workshops achieving full attendance.

Pre-registration for the PAPP rose 16 percent. Huchet warned that this had little to do with the actual number of visitors, which is yet to be revealed, but did signal another successful edition.

www.pretparis.com
6 February 2006

Malandrino opens in Paris

US-based designer Catherine Malandrino, a favourite with celebrities, will open her first boutique in Paris this month. Brought up in Paris, the designer is now returning to her roots.

“I lived and breathed St Germain for many years when I was studying fashion design in a Paris atelier,” Malandrino told Vogue. “It's time for me to hang out in my little boutique while I'm having a café au flore.”

The boutique will be situated on the corner of the rue du Grenelle and the rue des Saint Peres between the St Germain district and the Quartier Latin. It will be the first of three Malandrino boutiques to open this year and will be designed by Christophe Pillet, who fashioned her flagship boutique in the Meatpacking District in New York.

Covering 1000 square feet, the store will offer the new line of accessories and a selection of ready-to-wear items.

www.catherinemalandrino.com
23 January 2006

Paris Fashion Week

Paris fashion week started off on the wrong stiletto with a nationwide strike of public transport systems. Taxis in Paris are not as abundant as they are in London, and fashion editors arrived late at the Spring Summer 2006 shows as walking or indeed taking the metro, are not viable options.

But despite this set back, Paris fashion showed it was a country to reckoned with for cutting-edge style. Jean Paul Gaultier cultivated a 'down-on-the-farm' look for summer 2006, while Balenciaga harked back to its Spanish origins and Naoki Takizawa was inspired by bamboo forests for Issey Miyake.

At Balenciaga, France's Nicolas Ghesquiere likes to revive ideas from the Spanish couturier's archives and overhaul them to create a fresh 21st century look, and for this ready-to-wear it was no different. Taking the basics that made Cristobal Balenciaga a genius of cut, as well as Spanish renaissance, the young Frenchman's collection was as light as a breath of fresh air and technically impressive.

Naoki Takizawa for Issey Miyake showed fluid macrame dresses and multi-directional ruching. Other dresses and tops were left to just wrap the body for comfort.

Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" and a theme of "Active Resistance to Propaganda" proved British designer Vivienne Westwood, at more than 60, has lost none of the rebelliousness portrayed in her clothes. But for summer 2006 she had toned down on extravagance while keeping volume central for dresses and skirts that gave an impression of chaos but were crafted to precision.

We'll always have Paris

Yesterday was Paris's turn to dazzle in the fashion stakes, as once again all eyes turned to the City of Lights for a new edition of shows.

Many a fashion editor was disappointed by Milan's “safe” take on fashion for next season, so Yohji Yamamoto provided the perfect antidote with his wacky creations, ranging from conceptual drainpipe dresses and dinosaur-spiked suits to his far more wearable black ensembles.

New York-native Rick Owens also showed his new collection yesterday, wowing the crowd with an eerie show. The models sported white faces and chiffon column dresses in charcoal and black, sculpted jackets in ultra-slim sleeves and skinny trousers in cool earth tones.

Today it is Viktor & Rolf's turn, as well as that of AF VanderVorst and Paco Rabanne. The week, which ends on 10 October, also sees the likes of Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Rochas and Chanel presenting their collections.

Pret a Porter in Paris

The 100 th edition of the French fashion trade show Pret a Porter Paris opened its doors to the public last Friday. The heatwave that descended on the city did not stop visitors from attending the show. Although the crowds that swarmed the previous show had not yet arrived in equal measure, many participants were optimistic. After all, most buyers only start writing up orders on the third and fourth day and there was enough interest. The trade show's organisation expected 43.000 visitors to this season's edition.

As with previous editions, the Pret a Porter was again held in the exposition halls at the Porte de Versailles. The first impression upon entering the show was one of overpowering. With over 1,500 participants spread out over three floors, the diversity of brands – which encompassed everything from eveningwear, accessories, street wear, casual wear, jeanswear and separates – was overwhelming.

Although the majority of participants were French, a significant amount of foreign brands was also represented. For years the Pret a Porter has devoted a separate section called the Pavillons du Monde to brands from the Far East , maar there were also many Italian, British and German brands, as well as Latin and North American labels. The strength of this trade show is its international character and the diversity of products within the middle and high segments. “This is our second time at the Pret a Porter,” said Coen Looijen, managing director of Dutch fashion lable Marianne Vanderwilt. “I think it's a enjoyable, high quality trade show. The brands that participate are strong and the buyers come from all over the world. It's that international aspect that makes this such a good trade show.”

Besides the many brands, which were split into different sections, the trade show also offered regular fashion shows, a boutique performante where retailers could learn of new ways to attract and keep clients, a logistics section and a trend forum. The latter attracted many journalists who hungrily noted down the hottest trends for spring 2006. Further to this, the organisation worked together with the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism to produce an exhibition of the traditional hanbok dress, which was reinterpreted by western designers. In short, there was something for everyone.

www.pretparis.com
5 August 2005

Pret a Porter in sight

The 100 th edition of the French fashion trade fair Pret a Porter is just around the corner. The fair, which opens its doors to the public on 2 September and runs until 5 September, will play host to a myriad of international fashion labels and visitors from all over the world.

The event, which was founded in 1956, has shown tremendous growth in recent years. In the last four years, the number of international brand exhibitors rose from 44 percent to 61 percent. The goal of the organisers has been to increase the level of international exposure, both in terms of exhibitors and buyers, in the next three years.

With daily catwalk shows and an abundance of information to accompany the fashion on display, Pret a Porter aims to differentiate itself from other trade events with clear and detailed insights into fashion trends.

www.pretparis.com
24 August 2005

Fashion moves forward

The trend started in Milan and has been duly followed by Paris: next season's fashion is grown-up and subdued. Designers John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood both chose for neutral and muted palettes, as did Missoni and Marni, whose signature bold colours, prints and optics were replaced by toned-down prints on familiar silhouettes.

Brown, beige, camel, fawn and grey appeared in collections that were less theatrical than in previous seasons. And black, like at the Milan shows, is definitely the 'new black.'

4 March 2005

Paris As Romantic As Ever

From McQueen to Rochas to Hermes to Paco Rabanne the collections shown on the Paris catwalks were as romantic as ever in the city of lights. Overtly clingy and sexy clothes were replaced by a softer, more romantic silhouette. The result is a confident sense of beautifully draped, light-as-breeze clothes that will have you looking fabulous next season. Chloe, especially, understands how a modern woman wants to dress, and chose ultra-light fabrics, giving volume with pleats, flat layers of ruffles or drapes. The washed silks, tiered skirts and tiny jackets will be on every editors hotlist next season.

Nina Ricci is quickly transforming from an antiquated fashion house to a young woman's wardrobe. Designer Lars Nilsson is eager to entice a new clientele and did all the right things, using moth-wing fabrics, where the sheen of silk or a scattering of sparkle produced lights. A palette that included a juicy orange, gave it the right touch of youthful elegance. John Galiano's theme of "Barbara Hutton goes to Glastonbury" recalled the swinging 60s in psychedelic prints and wacky cartoons. However eccentric, there where some lush clothes, including face-powder pink satin dresses draped in a bow at the front.

Louis Vuitton showed a myriad of colours, with metallic shades exploding on the catwalk. Movie stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christina Ricci opened the show in a handful of quiet black outfits. The rest was a whirl of circular-patterned skirts with giant peep-hole cutouts, flower prints on hotpants, purple knits and cute crochet bags.

At Yves Saint Laurent, Stefano Pilati had the tough task of following in Tom Ford's footsteps. He managed, however, to do things his own way. Opening the show was a short, black-and-white polka-dot raincoat with tulip-curved hemline, cinched by a wide, square-buckled black patent leather belt. Something that Ford would never have done. Said Pilati of his collection: "It's something between the fifties and the eighties-which is my time-but to do it now, with volumes in a different way." Pilati worked under Tom Ford for four years and is also a former designer at Prada.

At Hermes, designer Jean Paul Gaultier showed an even more powerful collection than his first. Taking in all the codes of Hermes' past, he transformed them effortlessly into light-handed modern clothes. Colours included washed sand prints, butterscotch leather and a deep, bright navy. Gaultier said his inspirations were the icons of French chic, from Serge Gainsbourg through Jane Birkin. As Susie Menkes of The Herald Tribune said; "With this beautiful collection, it is possible to imagine that the Gaultier-Hermes partnership might have the endurance of Karl Lagerfeld with Chanel.

12 October 2004

The Paris Report

That fashion is still in 50s mode was evident at the Paris autumn/winter shows. From Celine's circle skirts to the boxy jackets at Dior, designers are still inspired by all things heritage and twee.

Referential to the past, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent was an inspiration of YSL's Opium collection, while Jean Paul Gaultier at Hermes drew on the French Luxury House's past of horses and leather, to create the finest of leather jackets and luminous printed scarves.

At Balenciaga, Nicholas Ghesquiere mixed inside with the outside, to create interesting conceptual pieces such as shrunken knits and little bolero jackets, though greatly received by press, the clothes are perhaps not as commercial as the lovely cocktail suits and dresses at Rochas, where Olivier Theyskens played with contrasting materials and volume.

Helmut Lang took his conceptual ideas one step further this season, to create an even more abstract collection with skirts that flipped up at the back to become a cape. Alexander McQueen left his penchant for theatrics at home, and let the clothes speak for themselves. Soft and subtle leopard print chiffons were teamed with shearlings.

That fashion is stuck in a time zone and anchored in a safe haven is evident. Across the globe, designers have brought back the glamour of the past but not moved forward as in past seasons. Perhaps this is echoing the mood of consumers, where 2004 is yet another year of uncertainty and economic unrest. Fashion should be interesting and inspiring in these times. And as Vanessa Friedman of FT recently quipped after the Paris shows: why should designers re-write someone else's history when they are still in the midst of creating their own?

9 March 2004
www.photoparismode.com

It's gonna be a colourful summer

In their Paris' show Dutch-design duo Viktor & Rolf showed signs of spring fever. They sent a model down the runway in a dress made of blooms of practically every colour. Creating additional effect was her hair, frosted in one of the season's hottest hues - pink.
Bright colours dominated at John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel) and Sonia Rykiel shows as well. And the shades ranged from sugary cotton candy to smashing fabulous fuchsia.
Pink is everywhere and it's a colour most women can wear. Do try and find the right shade though. The lighter shades can be a little harder to wear.

When pink is not your colour, no worries. This spring you can also opt for yellow. More than a few designers, including Helmut Lang and Miuccia Prada, included the shade in their collections. Others, such as Oscar de la Renta and Alexander McQueen, made orange their main squeeze.
Donatella Versace and Giorgio Armani collections were veiled in a purple haze of lavender hues. White (spring 2002's shade of the season) continues to make a statement, alone or combined with black.

Ruling the land is the miniskirt. This bottom dominated the spring runways. Tom Ford at Gucci showed the sexiest ones, while Jean Paul Gaultier, created versions not much bigger than a belt. But there are plenty of longer skirts as well, some almost ankle-length.

Another piece with the youth factor is the cargo pant. These pants donned with pockets, zippers and buckles look best teamed with ultra-feminine high heels and cropped tops. This way the cargo pant steers far from a militarised look.
Other pants seen this season are slim ankle pants, ubiquitous Capris, and a few wide-legged variations.
Another facet of this feminine movement is the dress with eastern prints and Mandarin collars they speak of Asia. Folkloric pieces, like bell-sleeved blouses and tiered skirts, borrow from many continents.
In addition to satin and silk, key fabrics of the season include chiffon, linen, gauze, lace and all-important denim.

March 20, 2003

Modest climb Paris' visitors

Affluence, internationalisation and creativeness were the key words of the January 2003 session of the Prêt à porter Paris. Never before did the Paris' fair have such an international dimension. During the last session, foreign representation progressed faster than French representation, both in the terms of exhibitors and of visitors. Accommodated in the 15 fashion sectors spread of 26,500 m2 of stands (+ 9%), there were 1,128 exhibitors at Prêt à porter Paris, in other words, a rise of 3.7% (including 280 new companies), compared to the January 2002 session. The 590 foreign exhibitors (52% of the total) were in the majority and came from 40 different countries, led by the Italians (16% of all exhibitors), the British (5.6%), the Spanish (5%) and the Germans (4.5%).

The number of visitors has risen by 2.4%. Although the number of French buyers remained stable (+ 0.2%), international buyers increased by 2.6% compared to January 2002: European Union countries (+ 1.5%), countries outside the European Union (- 12.9%), North America (+ 11.2%), Asia (+ 1.5%), and the Middle East (- 22.7%). French visitors accounted for 55.7% as against 44.3% of international buyers with, in order of importance, Italy (6.2% of the visitors), Spain (6%), Great Britain (3%), Japan (3%) and Belgium (3%)

The next Prêt à porter Paris will take place from 5 to 8 September 2003.

March 18, 2003

Paco Rabanne impresses Paris' fashion crowd

Essence combated style at the Paris ready-to-wear shows this weekend with designers split between those who set trends and those who follow them. Paco Rabanne showed he remains leader of the pack after 40 years in the business, while both John Galliano and Alber Elbaz at Lanvin each put their powerful stamp on next winter's fashions.

Julien Macdonald at Givenchy and Phoebe Philo at Chloe were left behind with somewhat predictable collections.

At Paco Rabanne, whith Rosemary Rodriguez designing, snug reefer jackets with raised collars were paired with thigh high black leather boots. Leather belts criss-crossed the body across a black ribbed sweater with detachable sleeves. Best of all were the outfits made of small silver circles woven together to produce a medieval-looking chainmail.

John Galliano looked to the wartime 1940s for his own label collection after conjuring a bondage-inspired rubber fest for Christian Dior. Models with oversized black paste-on moles pranced and posed, wearing bulky bra tops and garter belts under baby pink cardigans and furs.

One model wriggled in a cherry print tea dress, her hair tucked under a green velvet turban. A spiral-cut mustard coat came with leg o' mutton caramel fur sleeves. Galliano has done this before (think of the elegant suits Madonna wore when promoting "Evita"). But that did not stop his show from being the hottest ticket of the season.

March 11, 2003
www.pacorabanne.com

Kennedy exhibit opens in Paris

Caroline Kennedy, paid tribute to her mother and the city of Paris this week, saying Jacqueline Kennedy's élan and trend setting flair were born of the French capital. Caroline Kennedy travelled to Paris to celebrate the opening of "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years - Selections From the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum." The exhibit opened in Paris, the only overseas stop after its U.S. tour. It runs through March 16 at the Musee de la Mode et du Textile - a part of the Louvre complex.

The exhibit displays dozens of elegant ensembles worn by Jacqueline Kennedy during her husband's 1959 campaign and at subsequent state functions around the world. Small changes were made in the U.S. version of the exhibit to highlight the Kennedys' special relationship with France.
In addition to members of the Kennedy family, some of the world's top fashion designers were to attend a fund-raising gala honouring the style of Jacqueline Kennedy, who married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis after her husband's assassination. She died of cancer in 1994.
Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Cardin, Catherine Deneuve and U.S. Ambassador Howard H. Leach were to be among the attending guests.

November 20, 2002
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