For the first time yesterday, a bit of romantic mood came up at Paris fashion week. Burning candles marked the way to the Nina Ricci show at nightfall and...
For the first time yesterday, a bit of romantic mood came up at Paris fashion week. Burning candles marked the way to the Nina Ricci show at nightfall and set the tone for the delicate looks. Peter Copping, the designer, went for ultra-femininity, an effortless princess dream that makes every girl’s heart beat a tick faster. "It was about a woman growing up" said Franca Sozzani, the editor of Italian Vogue. That sums it up quite nicely, the youthful, uncomplicated knitwear leading to long embellished gowns in sumptuous velvet dévoré, occasionally accessorised with a wide brimmed hat, long soft leather gloves, or a sparkling crystal collier.
Manish Arora took it all a bit less seriously. "A sense of humour needs to be there" was his backstage comment on a show that opened with a magician transforming a flame into an actual woman. Transubstantiation; that could also be a theme for the colourful collection that combined soft, body hugging lines with rigid structures a la Blade Runner, which squeezed the waist in elaborate patterns. Fashion victims seemed to enjoy the high profile clash of cultures that brought Mr Arora’s Indian heritage into the context of Parisian chic, as Kanye West looked quite amused in his front row seat.
It was nice to see a lot of colours, but then it also felt good to watch Rick Owen’s take on developing a simple, modern silhouette. "I tried to strip it back a bit this time" he said. Narrow cloaks enveloping the body, tunics like softened shields in earthy colours were all calling for a new simplicity, which is "the hardest thing in the world" to achieve. But it turned out well.
Text by George Ghon
