Slimane’s big Paris debut
Saint Laurent
The opening girl set the tone for Hedi Slimane’s debut, wearing a slim, all-black tuxedo with stovepipe pants, fitted vest, a strong-shouldered jacket and a silk shirt featuring a floppy bow at the neck.
This style was the foundation on which Slimane built half of the looks in the show, varying them slightly through the choice of fabrics, embellishments or finishes. The alternatives were silk dresses a la Rachel Zoe. Slimane then peppered the collection with sartorial homages to Saint Laurent’s most iconic pieces, including the
“Veruschka” safari jacket and Marrakesh caftan. Perhaps Slimane was trying to get all of the house’s famed pieces out of his system in one fell swoop before moving on to something not so referential or reverential next season. Only time will tell.
Mr. Saint Laurent famously said: “Fashion fades. Style is eternal,” and Slimane certainly has style — he just needs to work on getting past the fashion.
Stella McCartney
Minimalism has become a theme of Paris Fashion Week and once again appeared at Stella McCartney. Girls emerged wearing sleek, dropped-waist dresses, boxy bomber jackets with cropped sleeves and military-inspired, belted tweed vests. Meanwhile, transparent white layering mingled with fresh, eye-popping hues of bright orange, electric blue and spearmint — and occasionally pitch black — on slender dresses. Oversized pockets and perforated inlets on round jumpers and loose-fit bombers came along with low-crotch pantsuits in monochrome shades of apple green, midnight blue and transparent white.
Toward the end, McCartney added an element of chic to the sporty with faux-polka dresses that suggested animal prints and diamond-cut embroidery in white and black silk organzas that contrasted with the easy masculine attitude of the earlier silhouettes. Accessory-wise, McCartney adorned her looks with roomy utility bags with wide straps, oversized sunglasses and platform wedges in organic cotton. Elisabeta Tudor
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