PARIS FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2022: End of Week Report

by Cecile Paul · Published March 10, 2022 · Updated January 24, 2024

Feel free to share:

Paris Fashion Week Saved The Best For Last: MIU MIU and CHANEL Put Their Own Spin On the Classic Tweed Suit while STELLA MCCARTNEY Transports the 1980s Balloon Skirt to New Heights.

All Image Credit Paris Fashion Week and Participating Designers

Grungy and eclectic: belted tweed and a furry leather jacket – at Miu Miu

One thing is for sure: Paris Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2022 saved the best for last. Big guns Miu Miu and Chanel rolled out mega performances on the final day of Paris Fashion Week and boy oh boy, was there plenty to revel in from these heavyweights.

As the three most influential European fashion weeks, London, Milan and Paris, drew to a close, there was one overriding trend (manifestation of the zeitgeist, really) that popped up repeatedly. We spotted this at Vivienne Westwood – who overtly advocates a policy of ‘buy less’, at Gucci and Louis Vuitton, where we saw an eclectic compilation of quirky elements in every look, at Stella McCartney where the ‘randomness’ of the collection was surprisingly refreshing and at Miu Miu and Chanel where youthful, if grungy, chic has never looked more ‘now’. The oversized blazer, the influence of sportswear and general eclecticism and ‘randomness’ have been instrumental trends in these Fall 2022 collections.

Sustainability, recycling, upcycling are evident in the way designers have been approaching every aspect of fashion. The longevity and recycling of clothing and accessories are as hot a topic as the frocks themselves, and even though the collections weren’t recycled as such, designers were sending a clear message that the ‘glam thrift-shop’ consciousness and grungy ‘anti-fashion’ are here to stay (at least for now).

A tweed suit and wool socks – at Miu Miu

Miu Miu

It seems Miuccia Prada has been putting plenty creative juice into Miu Miu this season (let’s face it, she’s got plenty help at Miu Miu’s big sister brand Prada which has been in the capable co-directorship of Raf Simons since 2020). She most certainly gave us a collection of exceedingly memorable goodies this time around.

From lace-up ‘Lederhosen’ to ‘tennis’ gear, oversized tweed coats to rhinestone-encrusted chiffon dresses, the collection was simply delicious. Seldom has one collection ticked so many ‘must-have’ boxes! The tweed ensembles, for example, were refreshing in their contrast: miniscule double-belted skirts were seen underneath oversized ‘man’ coats with their large raglan sleeves.

Boldly appliqued leather jackets looked sensational over transparent skirts and tiny shorts. The faux python suits with their shearling collars were nothing short of masterful! Plaid knits, midriff-baring sweaters and flat, big buckle leather boots with their multiple side-fastenings had a decidedly preppy feel. Fluffy white V-shaped faux fur collars and white ‘tennis gear’ were fresh and sporty and the knitted stockings that accompanied most outfits looked oh-so and cosy and endearing.

Transparent dresses in pastel shades, dripping with rhinestones and diamonte and criss-cross sheer and shimmery crystal dresses were simply the succulent cherries on the most delectable of cakes. Only Miuccia Prada knows the recipe, and she’s got us all addicted.

Watch Miu Miu’s show here:

Treble leather, including ‘Lederhosen’ – at Miu Miu

A chiffon dress embellished with rhinestones – at Miu Miu

‘Tennis’ gear, complete with white Faux fur and wool socks – at Miu Miu

A wool kilt suit with double buckles on the skirt – at Miu Miu

A shearling jacket and a splash of red – at Miu Miu

Faux python and a cropped zip-up sweater – at Miu Miu

A miniscule pair of shorts worn underneath a man’s coat – at Miu Miu

Anyone for tennis? – at Miu Miu

A tweed suit of fresh proportions – at Miu Miu

A criss-cross crystal dress with wool stockings – at Miu Miu

Lace and crystals – at Miu Miu

A spectacular transparent blue dress with sturdy boots – at Miu Miu

A leather jacket is appliqued for effect – at Miu Miu

A fabulous vintage-style leather jacket over a lace dress – at Miu Miu

Chanel

Chanel has always been synonymous with tweed but for the 2022 Fall show Chanel went all out: the Grand Palais Éphémère played tribute to the magnificent fabric that Coco Chanel adored above all. The seats and walls of the Grand Palais resembled a Scottish landscape in tweed, the runway was a greenish shade – no doubt a nod to the River Tweed in Scotland.

And tweed was what the collection was all about. The king of all woolen fabrics came in all its wonderful colour combinations – as if one was party to the changing landscapes in the Scottish Highlands where the famous Harris Tweed gets dyed and woven into cloth. Men’s hunting and fishing jackets with their multiple applied pockets, oversized coats, plaid knits and tiny tweed skirts were worn over thick-ribbed wool tights and rubber wellies. Waders worked wonderfully well in reinforcing the fun and sporty aspect of the looks.

The collection had a much younger feel to it than many other we’ve seen over the years, and we salute that! This may have something to do with the input of creative director Virginie Viard, who took on the role after Carl Lagerfeld departed and who is all too aware that there’s an entire market out there of young women gagging to wear Chanel in a nonchalant, casual and grungy way and – most of all – not risk feeling they’re being their mothers!

Watch Chanel’s show here:

A very modern-looking tweed suit and wool stockings – at Chanel

A tweed coat over tweed leggings, worn with wellies – at Chanel

Treble tweed, worn with sea-green wool tights – at Chanel

Waders reinforce the sportiness of the look – at Chanel

Shearling sleeves on this pastel pink coat – at Chanel

Multiple pockets on this fishing jacket – at Chanel

Tiny denim shorts and a mustard cardi – at Chanel

Tweed and leather look good together! – at Chanel

A classic trench coat in fawn leather – at Chanel

Grungy stripes – at Chanel

Stella McCartney

John F. Kennedy’s peace speech was playing as guests were taking their seats at Stella McCartney’s Autumn Winter 2022 show. These are unprecedented times to be laying on a fashion show, and Stella was painfully aware of that as she was presenting her collection in a tube above the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

The collection consisted of an almost random selection of silhouettes that ranged from puff sleeve jumper suits, oversized jackets, dresses that were twisted, draped and tied, oversized faux fur ‘teddy’ coats, bodysuits and underwear worn as outerwear to artful 1980s prints, gathered and polo-neck dresses. If there was one shape that stood out it most certainly was the balloon skirt. Even the colours were reminiscent of the Eighties – lavender, bright prints in primary shades of blue, red and purple.

Pinstripes came in every guise, often diagonally stretched across garments and sleeves were exaggerated – often puff or gathered. Denim was top-stitched and accompanied by sling bags with oversized Eighties-style bling linked-chain slings. The show ended poignantly and most befittingly with the soundtrack of the Plastic Ono Band’s ‘Give Peace a Chance’.

Watch Stella McCartney’s show here: