Paris fashion week: women’s fall-winter 2011/2012 collections under the sign of elegance and audacity
After New York, London and Milan, it’s time to discover the latest styles proposed by French designers at the most recent of the International Fashion weeks, the long awaited Paris Fashion week, which had many unexpected surprises in store for the media, just before the start of the festival itself.
This edition of the Paris Fashion Week will be remembered for the beautiful creations, for the exclusive elegance of dresses and for woman’s sensuality revealed but, above all, it will go down in history for the sudden and immediate dismissal of one of the most emblematic protagonists of French haute couture: Mr John Galliano, creative director of Dior.
The news, which exploded like a bomb in the final days of Milan fashion week, was the main topic of discussion in Paris among the many media and International buyers flown here to attend this important fashion event and witness with their own eyes the exclusivity of the proposed styles and the elegance of the fabrics and accessories completing the women’s look of next fall-winter 2011/2012.
According to Dior fashion house’s press release issued immediately after the dismissal of Galliano, the designer, famous for his uninhibited eccentricity and for his “over the top” behaviour, was removed from his post as creative director because he made antisemitic remarks and behaved violently towards some people sitting in a bar in Paris. Immediately submitted to an alcohol test, he was shown to be drunk.
This is the reason why the maison Dior, always distinguished for the seriousness of its brand, decided to terminate their contract with Galliano and to dismiss the designer immediately.
People are already hypothesising and betting on the possible next creative director of the Dior fashion house. The most recurrent name to come up is that of Mr. Riccardo Tisci, the current creative director of another very famous French fashion house, Givenchy, distinguished for the elegance and the high level of his creations and for this reason perfect to direct an International brand such as Dior.
However, this is just hypothesis and gossip as nothing has yet been announced
But let’s now concentrate our attention on the most interesting new styles proposed at this latest edition of Paris Fashion Week for next fall-winter 2011/2012 women’s collections. What is the Must-have for the women’s look next winter and what color is the trendiest shade according to what was shown by French designers?
Jean Paul Gaultier sees the woman of next cold season as a very classic creature, looking towards her future old age and, for this reason, loving old style suits created with fabrics and accessories typically used by our grandmothers many years ago. His love for the old stylish look is further enhanced by the use of blond-grey wigs worn by models on the runway.
Suits are grey, black, but also camel beige. Coats are made of natural leather and worn with very nice handbags with chain straps and worn on the forearm, like in the past.
The evening look, on the other hand, is an explosion of light and sensuality, thanks to the use of black lace dresses worn over shiny gold nylons. Shoulders, left uncovered by the dress, are warmed by fur shrugs.
Nylons are really opaque while skirts and trousers are indistinctly used.
Enormous foulards and scarves made of cashmere complete the women’s look according to what was proposed by the irrepressible French designer.
A touch of vividness in Gaultier’s collection, besides the gold, is also given by the emerald green and yellow of satin shirts enriched by a bow on the neck band.
Dior’s collection, animated by many comments on the sudden dismissal of its creative director, Mr. John Galliano, opened with the showing of about sixty-two models, all of them personally conceived by Galliano and aimed at a very refined woman wearing cashmere cardigans, floor length coats, python shirts and cuissard boots. The woman of next winter will look like D’Artagnan of the Three Muskateers, with a special style further enhanced by very dark tonalities ranging from dark brown to black, through dark blue, wine red, bordeaux, electric blue.
If the women’s daywear look of next fall-winter 2011-2012 will be aggressive and determined, she transforms into a romantic creature at night, opting for pastel shaded colors such as light pink, light green, white and light blue.
White and black lace and sheer fabrics are widely used by Dior, creating a special intriguing effect.
Boots are high heeled while bags, beld by the handle, alternate with gorgeous clutches with a fine chain straps.
Chiffon, georgette, pleats, flounces and ruches….. this is Dior.
Kenzo, on the other hand, thanks to its designer Antonio Marras, focuses its collection on very long dresses in patterned colors with printed autumnal flowers.
Jackets are enriched by a fur neckband while maxi T-shirts are green, brown or beige, three typical winter colors.
The clutch is classic shaped, in the same fabric and color as the dress, while the bag is totally made of fur but well-finished with natural leather.
The print of a leaping black panther, is the distinctive element characterizing all the Givenchy collection, whose creative director Riccardo Tisci, is considered as one of the possible replacements for John Galliano to direct the DIOR fashion house.
The theme of the black panther jumping, in fact appears everywhere: on mini dresses in shiny black satin, on sheer shirts revealing a black bra, on the elegant suits with shiny finishing and on sweatshirts.
Black velvet skirts are high waisted, while mini skirts in black leather or in velvet are deliberately short in order to show an underskirt of sheer black organza enhancing the woman’s legs encased in ultra black nylons.
The woman imagined by Tisci is sensual and hypnotic, wearing only black dresses and black accessories, given that BLACK is the Must color of next fall-winter 2011-2012, according to Givenchy.
The Hermes collection, under the control of the new creative director Christophe Lemaire, conveys the image of woman as a sophisticated explorer coming into contact with the nomadic people of the East. Hers is a refined journey into the suggestions of an East where comfort, discreet luxury and color are nicely mixed together. The Hermes fashion show opens with models wearing a total white look composed of floor length coats , gloves and explorer hats. Camel coloured maxi bags are worn cross-body.
But, as her journey progresses into the discovery of the East, colors change, passing from white to light brown with yellow details and exotic prints. Hats are made of fur, looking like Russian ushankas while the Western style proposes grey, dark green and black suits, made both in fabric and in leather. The Hermes collection finishes with an explosion of red, turquoise, yellow and orange associated with high quality materials such as cashmere, leather and silks.
The woman proposed by Yves Saint Laurent for next fall-winter 2011/2012 is certainly refined and elegant, wearing grey and black dresses through the day (also mixed together or interrupted by white silk shirts), but she transforms into an ethereal creature at night, thanks to the use of totally white long dresses leaving shoulders uncovered, or light suits (always in white), whose waist line is emphasised by wide black leather belts with a central bow.
The classic pochette, (black or white) accompanies the evening look, enhancing the glamour and the natural beauty of the woman herself.
Mr. Karl Lagerfeld, artistic creator of Chanel fashion house, sets the collection in a gray and somber scene, symbolizing the confusing current social situation or perhaps of a difficult period for the world famous designer. Lagerfeld’s creations are sober, a menswear style. Typically men’s jackets and pants are enriched with stylish but always casual details. As well as boots, models wear sneakers and men’s shoes.
Tweed is the Must fabric of Chanel’s collection, largely used for pants, jackets, suits and for some very nice coats.
The evening look on the other hand, sees the woman of next winter wearing very romantic dresses in black chiffon with jewel decorations.
Handbags are worn by the Chanel woman on the shoulder, by their slim strap but only if small sized and classic shaped.
The most recurrent colors characterising this collection are black, red, grey and white.
The Valentino woman will be an explosion of elegance and refined sensuality next winter, thanks to minidresses in silky fabrics and pastel shades such as light pink and beige next to typical winter colors such as brown, black, dark green or midnight blue, everything accompanied by high heeled python boots and luxury python clutches and shoulder bags. Shirts are sheer, revealing all the woman’s sensuality, while coats are over the knee and made in leather or in fabric but always cinched by a slim belt at the waist line.
For the evening look, Valentino’s designers propose gorgeous mini or long lace dresses, sheer shirts accompanied by pleated skirts in antique pink and beige, or sheer dresses with brown and green patterns, completed by the use of a gorgeous python pochette in the same colors as the dress.
Lace, ruches and sheer fabrics abound in the evening creations proposed by the Italian designer, for years based in France, further enhanced by the use of topical colors such as classic black (the undisputed symbol of elegance and sensuality), turquoise, pink, wine red (with fuchsia applications), acid green and midnight blue (with sheer sections).
Luis Vuitton concludes the Paris Fashion week with a model of woman who is absolutely sexy in her look without losing out on style and elegance.
Pants give way to mini shorts hidden under maxi jackets while legs, left uncovered, are encased in black stockings.
Mini dresses are made of sheer organza while the waist line is enhanced by shiny bustiers.
Boots are high heeled with laces, while a sergeant’s hat is worn with pride on the head. Coats, made of shiny fabric or of exotic leather, are knee length, while typical Louis Vuitton bags (with the inevitabile company logo) are clasped in the hand if small and enriched by a chain strap, or held by the handles if medium sized.
Gorgeous clutches made of genuine crocodile in a shiny finish are worn with glossy leather trenches, giving the woman brightness and grit.
However, given that the collection on show is a winter one, Louis Vuitton designers don’t neglect the use of soft fur (natural or ecological) for making handbags to wear with fur jackets or with jackets whose sleeves are made of voluminous fur.
The French fashion company proposes classic black, red, electric blue, dark green, bordeaux and beige as the in colors of the next fall-winter 2011/2012.
