As they close to the end of their ready-to-wear collections, Paris fashion houses showcased some of the city’s greatest art museums from the heights of Pompidou Center to those of the Musee d’Orsay.
On the penultimate day of the season, guests watched as fall-winter colors snuck in between avant-garde installations, marble sculptures and Oscar-winning stars.
Stella McCartney was not only the first brand to host a show at the French National Museum of Modern Art, but the collection was also inspired by a contemporary artist.
Louis Vuitton attracted stars like Emma Stone, Julianne Moore and Jennifer Connelly to Nicolas Ghesquiere’s study in adolescent experiments.
Here are some highlights
A TALE OF TWO STELLAS
Stella McCartney lean into a 1970s aesthetic with pizazz fall-winter. She used Frank Stella (a U.S. artist known for his geometric patterns) as a creative springboard.
The faux-fur striped coat was in cream and brown and resembled a dressing gown. It also channeled the linear motifs of Stella, which gave it a retro feel. This was a rare venture for the otherwise sporty and modern brand, but it was done with great fun. The first look featured large, bold shoulders and tubular arms. The coat’s big flappy belt seemed almost poised for sensually being pulled open by the wearer.
Large labels and rounded shoulders were key features of the ’70s. Stella, 85, wore a long dark coat with large proportions that evoked Stella’s geometric lines.
McCartney stated that the process was “really funny, Frank’s really moody, and we love him because of it.”
Fabric experiments were also noteworthy, with a sheeny fabric (“not leather, not latex”) appearing on a series a stunning ’70s gowns featuring shoulder drapes that move weightlessly and a number of other gorgeous designs. The designer was asked by editors to explain the material.
It was created by coating the fabric. It’s impossible to imagine that faux leather could achieve this level of movement, but I doubt it. McCartney stated that McCartney was thrilled to find the fabric because of its beautiful reaction to color.
McCARTNEY ON UKRAINE
Around the Pompidou Center, a loud protest against the war on Ukraine echoed. It was the recording of President John F. Kennedy’s iconic speech “A Strategy of Peace”, which was delivered at the American University in Washington D.C., in 1963.
McCartney’s front row guests were prompted to talk about the depressing geopolitical developments by McCartney repeating “We don’t want a war” Paul McCartney’s ex-bandmate John Lennon sang “Give Peace A Chance” at the end of the show.
Stella stated to AP that she wanted to inform everyone that Stella is anti-war after the show. “We are deeply saddened by the suffering of the people in Ukraine.”
McCartney stated that she was trying to address the conflict because continuing to indulge in fashion razzmatazz seems “very strange” given the circumstances. We wanted to make a statement against war, and against the events that have occurred.
Stella McCartney donated to CARE, a charity that provides emergency support to 4,000,000 Ukrainians.
She said, “It doesn’t take a genius figure out what is all around us in the world,”
MINNIE MOUSE GETS STELLA MAKINGOVER
Minnie Mouse was one of the celebrities who attended the Pompidou Center’s show, but she was not giving interviews. Minnie Mouse, the beloved Disney rodent, made a rare appearance to pose with guests, with Notre Dame Cathedral visible in the distance. She also showed off her new Stella McCartney fashion look.
The famed 1928 white bloomers are gone. To celebrate Women’s History Month and empowerment, there was a navy blue tuxedo pantsuit.
The house stated that Minnie Mouse’s dress was made with responsible materials and dressed her as a symbol for empowerment for a new generation.
Minnie will wear the pantsuit at special Disney events.
LOUIS VUITTON’S DRESSING-UP BOX
It was the wildernesses of adolescence that inspired Monday’s Louis Vuitton show — a lively ode to romanticism or the fleeting moments in youth when character is built for life.
Fun, unorthodox styles are created by clashing, cheerful, and grumpy looks. It looked like the model took whatever was left in her parents’ closet and combined them to make ensembles with unusual, sometimes oversized trapeze silhouettes.
It may sound shabby, but it isn’t. The creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere and his eye for balance and color are what held it together. The 48-strong show had more to it than humor and surrealism.
A series of preppy looks featured a yellow patterned tie that was too big and clashed with high-waisted gray woolen pants. Ghesquiere went further with a theatrical, gold apron that featured fringed sections and was reminiscent of a scarf or Elizabethan full skirt. To complete the contradictions, Ghesquiere added a gray schoolgirl skirt and brightly colored leather sneakers underneath.
Fall introduced a wider and more flattened lower midriff. This was reflected in the silhouette.
ARTISTIC COLLABORATION
Louis Vuitton of the LVMH Group used the occasion to announce a long-term partnership with Musee d’Orsay. This museum houses the largest collection of Impressionist art and post-Impressionist art in the world. Louis Vuitton will promote the museum and the associated art collections using its vast wealth. These collections span 1848-1914 and are in keeping with Louis Vuitton’s 19th-century origins as a trunk maker.
This was the first time that the museum and the former railway station hosted a fashion event in fall-winter. Ghesquiere spoke of the partnership and said that it resonated with him in many ways. It is a museum that embraces innovation over time. This includes its iconic clock, once-radical technology such as photography, paintings by modern masters, as well as its unique position in Paris as one the most emblematic cultural destinations.
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Is LEOPARD FABULOUS
Another artist, another museum. Giambattista Valli was this time around, showcasing his winter wares at the Musee de’Art Moderne.
One of the most creative touches was a unique take on prints. Valli put a leopard print on a pea coat, making it look as if it was stretched.
Another look showed the leopard print stretched flat on a mini dress, almost like it was printed right out of the machine. In a humorous nod towards censorship, the look was again re-created with a black bar extending over the bust.
This collection featured historical musings, like the leopard print that was pollinated over some dropped Elizabethan-style buttons that created a chic style contradiction that was paired with a 1960s miniskirt.
