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From Avant-Garde Anger Management at Comme des Garcon to Rebellious New Energy at Alexander McQueen,
Paris Fashion Week Makes its Most Fearless Statements yet.

At Saint Laurent

Image Credit Paris Fashion Week and Vogue

Arguably the most anticipated of all the fashions weeks in the world kicked off in the fashion capital of the world, and it’s fair to say all the world’s discerning sunglasses were firmly perched on noses for the crème de la crème of all fashion offerings, all in one place.

A whopping 108 shows and presentations were what we were treated to by the ultimate fashion heavyweights of Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, New York, Antwerp and further afield over the 8 days the event was on.

The keenly awaited debut of Dublin designer Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen may have been one of the events that a great number of breaths were held for, and it was indeed a refreshing surprise. With a degree from Central St Martins, McGirr has an impressive portfolio, having done stints at Burberry, Dries Van Noten and JW Anderson. He brought oodles of personality, experience and youthful vibes to Alexander McQueen. Watch the collection below!

Saint Laurent once again pulled off one of the most moving visual performances, no doubt a future classic in the making. And yet again the accompanying soundtrack created by French composer Sebastian – just like in previous seasons’ offering, was a piece of audio art in its own right.

Other legendary designers included Dries Van Noten, Christian Dior, Balmain, Givenchy, Rabanne, Schiaparelli, Isabel Marant, Loewe, Yohji Yamamoto, Hermes, Comme des Garcon, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton (celebrating the 10^th anniversary of creative director Nicolas Ghesquière tenure) and Chanel. British fashion was represented by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham. Maxhosa Africa presented a stunning collection all the way from South Africa.

Enough words, let the extraordinary fashion do the talking! Sit back and enjoy.

SAINT LAURENT

Watch Saint Laurent’s show here:

Who can ever forget the ‘Out Of Africa’ safari-style ensembles of Vaccarello’s SS 2024 collection? Beating the ‘wow’-factor of his previous offering was always going to be tough, but as soon as composer Sebastian’s violins introduced the first set of delicate and entirely transparent pieces, we knew we were going to be in for a treat of epic proportions. Or rather, transparent proportions.

Transparency as a key fashion trend has been sacrosanct for many seasons in both women’s and men’s collections. From Dolce& Gabbana to Prada, designers simply can’t get enough of showing skin. In literally using pantyhose fabric Vaccarello has upped the ante up by at least a few notches.

This collection that snugly wraps around the female form, accentuating every curve and contour (note to self – wearing no underwear is a prerequisite for sporting this season’s offering from Saint Laurent…) is sensual, ethereal and simply divine.

Pussy-bow blouses, crossover tops, boob tubes, pencil skirts and draped dresses were just giving us subtle glimpses of colour – camel, nude, toffee, taupe, olive, chocolate and burgundy, due to the sheerness and stretch of the fabrics. Skinny belts cinched waists and ankle straps shoes looked dainty, contrasting with the boldness of the bangles on models’ arms.

This is may not be the ideal collection to combat the bitter Nordic winter, but it is oh so ephemeral and chic! And there were indeed a few offerings of broad-shouldered jackets and deliciously fluffy marabou coats to choose from to layer over the transparent pieces. No excuses not to sport that see-through bodycon ensemble come Fall 2024!

At Saint Laurent

At Saint Laurent

At Saint Laurent

At Saint Laurent

At Saint Laurent

At Saint Laurent

At Saint Laurent

BALMAIN

Watch Balmain’s show here:

Olivier Rousteing delivered a stunningly sculptural collection to the Paris runway, all gold buttons, impeccable tailoring, quirky deviations from the classic – and oversized fruity earrings to top it all off with.

In a nostalgic and endearing tribute to the region of Bordeaux where Rousteing grew up, he paid homage to the wines of Bordeaux dangling from models’ ears, hung from their hands, the grape design printed on bodices and dresses.

The snail also featured (Escargots à la Bordelaise is of course a famous dish in the region) in various guises like the fossilized bodice-breast plate and the clips on bags and belts.

Stiff peplums, asymmetry, 3-D pockets and embellishments and hooded, cropped crossover jackets with safari pockets formed part of the sharp tailoring on offer.

At Balmain

At Balmain

At Balmain

At Balmain

At Balmain

At Balmain

GIVENCHY

Watch Givenchy’s show here:

A colour palette reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties with powder-puff pastels contrasted with black details featured in many of Givenchy’s ensembles.

Cocktail dresses, thirties-inspired evening gowns, sharp leather tops, asymmetrically draped skirts and oversized faux fur made up some of the pieces we adored.

Perhaps the standout piece of the collection was the dove grey long dress with its black accent of a neckline sweeping around the neck of the model, topped off with long black gloves.

Elegant coats and tailored suits also made cameo appearances in a collection that is ultra-wearable, if not highly distinctive (you may know that the House of Givenchy is still without a creative director).

At Givenchy

At Givenchy

At Givenchy

At Givenchy

SCHIAPARELLI

Watch Schiaparelli’s show here:

Creative director Daniel Roseberry made it his business over the past few seasons to increase the profile of the brand of Schiaparelli (remember his realistic lions and panthers pinned to coats a few seasons ago?).

This time around he was adamant to give lovers of the brand something more ‘everyday’, more wearable and less ‘shocking’, for want of a better word, than what was previously on offer.

Suits – in wool, denim and exotic leathers – looked relaxed and easy to wear. (Roseberry couldn’t resist the Schiaparelli twist, though, and ties took the shape of hair plats.) A corseted faux fur bomber jacket looked cosy and a tan mock croc peac oat and matching trousers were very chic indeed.

The house’s signature touches like the large gold earrings, bangles, buttons, bag clasps, dress straps and plaques left one in no doubt that this is the House of Schiaparelli, albeit an ever so slightly better behaved, less mischievous version of it!

At Schiaparelli

At Schiaparelli

At Schiaparelli

At Schiaparelli

At Schiaparelli

At Schiaparelli

At Schiaparelli

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Watch Alexander McQueen’s show here.

Arguably the most anticipated show at Paris Fashion Week this year was that of Alexander McQueen, not least because the house has a brand-new creative director at the helm, Dublin-born wunderkind Seán McGirr. Sarah Burton’s pointy kitten heels are not easy to step into, but McGirr was adamant to bring a new energy and a new lightness to what has always been a somewhat serious brand.

In contrast to Burton and the late Alexander McQueen, who aimed to create mostly show-stopping designs for the red-carpet, McGirr instead injected an energetic, casual air of streetwear & clubwear into the brand. Leopard prints, heavy boots, grungy faux fur jackets and oversized slouchy rib knits formed the vocabulary of a brand that is letting its hair down, so to speak.

Jeans are tied with ropes down the legs – a metaphor for breaking free from constriction? Leopard prints echoing the wild animal within? A bright neon green knitted ensemble is in stark contrast to the ‘old’ McQueen’s blacks and subdued shades… Be it as it may, there were still many throwbacks to the ‘traditional’ Alexander McQueen silhouette in the sharply tailored, belted black leather trench coat for example.

One may have to get used to this new take on the old, but one thing is for sure, McGirr has already put his very own fingerprint on the house of McQueen, and who doesn’t like a rebel?

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

At Alexander McQueen

BALENCIAGA

Watch Balenciaga’s show here:

Creative director Demna produced a collection of truly modern haute couture. ‘Modern’ being the key here, as the ensembles are a maelstrom collages inspired by of AI, Tik-Tok and various other random city and landscapes. Demna pushed the concept of creativity to (or perhaps over?) the limit in this open-ended AW 2024 collection.

In an Interview with Vogue Demna said, “what’s more important, perfection or imperfection? For me, it’s actually this coexistence of both, because that’s what makes us human now—the imperfection, the failure or the ‘miss.’ I love that idea. I think it’s beautiful. That’s what differentiates us from machines.”

Ensembles ranged from grungy street and sportswear to red-carpet looks, some looks were upcycled, recycled and repurposed, and others classic but deliberately oversized. Some were (deliberately, no doubt) picture-perfect, other not so.

However, all that remains to be said is that spontaneous creativity was definitely the driving force behind every single piece. You be the judge!

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

At Balenciaga

COMME DES GARCON

Rei Kawakubo said to Womenswear Daily in an interview, “This collection is about my present state of mind. I have anger against everything in the world, especially against myself.” And indeed the ensembles were explosive, pitch black (bar one) and full of rage. Models stomped down the runway and stopped to throw tantrums.

The avant-garde pieces with their bulbous bows, boxy shapes, enormous zips, chains and barbed wire printed over the surfaces of fabric, vertical appendices sticking out sideways and ridiculously voluminous skirts, were of course impeccably constructed.

Models sported inconceivably tall hairdos, to make the point that all seems out of kilter at the minute.

Kawakubo didn’t appear for a final applause, she stayed behind the scenes, containing her rage, but did send out a final piece in virginal white – the metaphorical dove perhaps?

At Comme des Garcon

At Comme des Garcon

At Comme des Garcon

At Comme des Garcon

At Comme des Garcon

At Comme des Garcon

At Comme des Garcon