+98 The Best of PFW AW22
Alexandre Vauthier Look 19
Ah, Paris fashion week. The last hurrah, and usually the best. So let’s get right into it.
Saint Laurent had brutal patent leather stiletto boots, the kind that men wish you would step on their necks while wearing. Between long, slinky maxi-dresses and black spandex leggings, it felt straight out of Vogue in the ‘80’s. Think glamourous charity dinner-goer heading home for the evening – big coats over glam dresses. One thing that didn’t sit right with me was the excess of fur coats on the runway. For all you vegans and animal lovers out there, don’t fret, it was faux-fur, but unfortunately for me as a planet-lover and tree-hugger, faux-fur is just as bad. Thumbs down to the faux-fur coats, sorry! Accessories consisted of sleeves full of heavy silver and black bangles.
Courrèges was serving futuristic mod like they do best, and of which I think is highly underrated. Well thought-out cut-out clovers were speckled throughout the collection, creating must-have pieces rather than classic basics.
With bustiers galore, and futuristic sports themed (like David Koma), Balmain was a fencing/motocross/football team in white. Although Balmain is not my favourite brand of all time, I was pleasantly surprised at the panelled dresses he put on show – especially the white bustiers, and the graphic body print dress and jumpsuit. Think a mix of Christian Dior SS17 and H&M x Alexander Wang. Personally, at 106 outfits, there were too many looks for me; he even presented a futuristic warrior bridal gown at the end, although however cool I’m not sure I’ll be choosing it for my wedding.
Word of the wise, Olivier Rousteing has also been picked to design Jean Paul Gaultier’s next collection, so we’ll see if he steps up to the plate (sorry, had to throw in a sports pun – I think I hit it out of the park!)
Thigh-high boots reigned supreme at Isabel Marant, complete with knee padding for a little sporty touch. Leather dungarees were layered over mohair jumpers, and I loved the bomber jacket which looked like it was made out of a Persian carpet – excellent use of pattern and texture.
If you ask me, Maria Grazia Chiuri has lost her touch. Christian Dior this season was whack, and I couldn’t find one look that I truly loved – or could see anybody else wearing for that matter. Also sports inspired, Dior presented thick, colourful leather motorcycle gloves, padded shoulder guards (for all the American football they’re planning on playing), and padded bustiers (to protect their chest when tackling on the pitch). Purple and yellow thermal leggings are shown underneath classic skirts, and yellow motorcycle jackets are shrugged on top of lace blouses. Mesh dresses have lace sections placed like armour, further emphasizing her sporting inspiration.
After last season’s big gold plates on jersey dresses, Loewe’s J.W. Anderson clearly went all in and bought himself a 3D printer, realised he couldn’t include it in the tax write-off, and so used most of his look in the AW22 creating hard dresses that don’t fit well and that nobody will wear. In addition to that, for car enthusiasts, he’s also created a stretch dress that has a large toy car fitted around the waist inside the mesh dress, so that you can also pretend to be a transformer at all hours of the day. Similarly to that, for shoe enthusiasts, you can also buy a mesh dress with high heels stuck in their somewhere, so at any point in time you can feel a nice little stiletto heel poking into your ribcage to remind you not to say anything too stupid at dinner parties, because you already look like a joke!
Both Balmain and Sacai showcased huge, flat, platform boots – the classic next extension of the Bottega Lug boot?
Stella McCartney, as well as Rodarte and Saint Laurent, sent out dresses with the reverse clover detail on the front panel of dresses, Courrèges style. Also seen at Stella McCartney were a lot of great shearling coats, fringe, bustiers, and cut-out dresses showcasing ribs all round.
Opening the Louis Vuitton runway was ‘Squid Games’ star and model Jung Ho-yeon with business casual coats and gauche neckties. Tops with long, scarf-like tails attached create a sort of dragging peplum, while most models were also wearing knee-length leather boots – a great addition to anyone’s wardrobes. Beautiful flowy, ruffled dresses finished off the runway looks (however worn with oversized rugby shirts over the top, bleck).
Giambattista Valli surprisingly sent coloured tights down the runway (as did Chanel – upcoming microtrend?) stretching down to glitter platform heels. When the models weren’t wearing platforms, thigh-high boots were another option, or teeny-tiny silver Mary-Janes. The collection seemed very 60’s inspired, with large paillettes and micro A-line dresses.
Speaking of Chanel’s coloured tights: Chanel put on a great collection dedicated to Scotland’s River Tweed – tweed being an iconic textile of the house, if you didn’t already know. Apart from the fantastic tights, and knee-high cosy socks in shades of greens, pinks, and purples, the star of the show had to be the various styles of gumboots glubbing down the catwalk. You wear Hunter’s you say? Not anymore! Chanel gumboots are now the only acceptable form of rainboots you can wear. I’ll have to alert my grandparents as they keep a range of wellingtons for me back at the farm from the Warehouse, which is like the Primark, or Walmart, of New Zealand – yuck. No more! Only Chanel! High-necked tweed coats remind us of stately women on the moors of the Scottish Highlands, while tweed jackets over cardi’s remind us to rug up warm when out with the hunting crowd.
Unfortunately at Miu Miu, Miuccia is still not over that tiny micro-skirt (can we call it a skirt? A belt? A small handkerchief worn around the waist?) which made its appearance in a tennis version with satin briefs worn just poking out the top. Ballet flats are back in a literal way (do you remember them being all the rage when Miu Miu did them back in SS16? I wore mine to death) worn with knee-high socks underneath to remind us to wear leg-warmers in dance class as it is indeed winter time. Miu Miu also brought menswear back into the fray, only for a couple of looks, just to join us ladies at tennis. Alongside the micro-skirt, they also showcased a matching pair of micro-shorts, so if you’ll please join me in prayer to lower hem lengths by even just 1cm, I’d be truly grateful. I saw all the size UK6/US00 influencer ladies wearing that cargo microskirt to the show, and if it struggles to cover a bottom that small, there’s absolutely no hope for mine.
Balenciaga put on the show most in line with the zeitgeist, where models walking within a swirling, snowy bubble, bracing themselves against the wind, carrying leather garbage bags while their flapping shirt tail streamed out behind them. In a show that was meant to be a comment on climate change, it took on a new meaning for designer Demna Gvasalia in the face of the Russian war on Ukraine, which mirrored refugees fleeing from their homes in winter time – a traumatic journey he also experienced as a child fleeing war in Georgia in 1993. “Personally, I have sacrificed too much to war. This past week is bringing back all the memories that my mother and I put away in a box, and never looked at. We never got over it.”
Huge knee-high boots caught the snow falling from the sky; futuristic glasses covered the faces of all the models, while bags reminiscent of the iconic city bag looked like heeled boots swung over your shoulder, as if you’re trudging through the snow, carrying your work boots with you.
If the recent showcase of Vetements wasn’t enough for you, don’t stress, because the Gvasalia brothers have created a sister brand called VTMNTS, an offshoot of the main clothing line. What’s the difference? If anything, it’s much more subdued than the larger than life, in your face Vetements, while this new brand focuses more on oversized, tailored clothes, with chunky, angular Chelsea boots. While I am normally not a huge fan of Balenciaga/Vetements oversized silhouettes, I was pleasantly surprised at this collection, which reminded me very much of Raf Simons for Calvin Klein.
Valentino put on every girl’s dream show with half in their own new shade of fuchsia created by them and Pantone for the girly-girls, and the other half in black for the goth babes. Personally, I’m in love with that shade of pink and wish I could buy every outfit – god knows you’ll be seeing a lot of that shade around as women start going out dressed head to toe in Valentino pink. Luckily for us, Valentino haven’t yet ditched the platforms that went viral this season, which they’ve done with a squarer toe, and also in big leather boots. In black they’ve done the platform boots again, and the pumps with a pointy toe to emphasize just how sexy you really are. One of my favourite collections out of the whole season.
Overall a very successful PFW, with some great trends for us to break down.
Other trends to consider before you go:
- Check/herringbone
- Sports
- Tweed
- Leather aviator jackets
- Showcasing your ribcage
If you think of any others – let me know!