+45 The Best of PFW SS22
It’s official – fashion is bringing sexy back (cue that JT song)! We’ve seen barely-there dresses, gaping shirts with bikinis underneath that could be worn anywhere and the beach, and now we’ve got the tiniest skirts known to man. Sexy. Is. Back! Get ready to see and show a lot more skin, ladies, and whether that means hitting the gym or doing absolutely nothing but repeat compliments to yourself in the mirror – you’ve gotta have the confidence to go with it.
But maybe it’ll give us confidence too. Sure, I feel confident when I’m wearing a boxy, old-Céline power-suit, but I also don’t feel that feminine. Is it unfeminist of me to like to be looked at when I wear something a little shorter and more fitting? Perhaps with a little too much leg? Or a suggestive neckline? There’s a big difference between being catcalled on the street walking home from the gym than dressing up and wanting to be admired.
With the new trends for the summer, get ready for your hot bod (in whatever shape or form) to be admired! I noticed a lot of plus-sized models on the runways this season (Versace, Balmain, Chloé, Ottolinger) wearing skimpy, suggestive, sexy clothes, which should tell you that no matter what you look like – show some skin! Own it! Feel sexy in your body!
Also – great news for my 5’3” stature… Platforms have come back around! Dust off those Gucci skyscrapers from S/S 2016, because tiny, strappy stilettos are OUT and chunky, sky-high block heel platforms are BACK! No more popping Advil in the bathroom 20 minutes into the cocktail party! It’ll take at least 2 hours to start feeling the pain with that much cushioning. Valentino, Versace, Lanvin, Saint Laurent, and Acne Studios are some of the brands to bring back platforms in a big way – not to mention up and coming brands like D’Accori making platforms great again.
Louis Vuitton was inspired by dressing from the 18th century, with modern versions of panniers in full show. A pannier is like a wide bustle, worn under dresses to make your hips look wide and rectangular. The most daring panniers extended out several feet wide either side! Imagine a little dog picking up a large stick at the park and trying to walk through the gate with said stick. That’s what going through the salon doorways was like in the 1700’s! Anyway, Nicolas Ghesquière thought that was fabulous, and is trying to bring panniers back – although not sure how we’d get to our dinners via the tube. We might have to start taking an Uber Mercedes Viano. The panniers along with the gilet/blazers bring us back to Napoleonic times, a nod back to the glory days of Paris. Vive la France!
Miu Miu to my absolute horror brought back the tiniest micro-skirts you have ever seen. Think back to the year 2000. Megan Fox was wearing a miniscule piece of denim fabric around her waist, which at the time we took as a skirt. Well. Welcome back to hell ladies, because everyone is going to see straight up those skirts. As low-waisted as they come, I can’t deny they look great with a sawed-off cropped shirt and camel jumper. But, you also have to be the size of a stick to wear them – which, I admit, I am not. In my mind, it’s either low-waisted and long, or high-waisted and short. You cannot have both. Miu Miu said otherwise.
Chanel decided to bring back the glory years when Claudia Schiffer stormed the runway with a smirk and a little twirl, instead of the passive almost aggressive stomping the models of today do. Super short high-waisted knit shorts paired with a tweed jacket and lots of belts/necklaces/body chains equals someone I would be looking at enviously as they walked down the pier away from their tender for a day shopping in a beach-side town. Cute monochrome swimsuits opened the catwalk – a nod back to their iconic S/S 1994 show, and an encore of the huge success of their half/half monochrome one-piece swimsuit from the S/S 2019 show. If I were you, I’d put those on your shopping list ASAP because I can guarantee those will be next-to-impossible to get if it was anything like the demand for the S/S ‘19 swimsuit!
Chloé was my absolute favourite, with Gabriela Hearst once again bringing back the real artisan qualities of the old Chloé. When Natacha Ramsay-Levi took over the helm in 2017, Chloé lost that dreamy, earth-girl, artisanal aesthetic that made Chloé stand out from the crowd for so long. Instead, as a previous assistant for Nicolas Ghesquière, Natacha brought quirky French cool-girl to Chloé. Gabriela Hearst, as a champion of hand-made work, not only brought the dreamy aesthetic back, but also added her own twist of tailoring and leather pieces into the fray.
Patchwork leather, trench coats with embroidered wool finishings, leather tassels, fun and colourful knits, broderie anglaise all came together to make a glorious bohemian wardrobe. There were even shells – SHELLS – with the look finale wearing a paua shell necklace. As a New Zealander, I’m swooning.
Other shows you shouldn’t miss? Courrèges is back to its former glory, shoving contemporary vinyl 60’s dresses back into the limelight. AZ Factory had a homage fashion show dedicated to its founder and former designer of Lanvin, Alber Elbaz, who died earlier this year in April. Designers such as Donatella Versace, Daniel Lee (of Bottega Veneta), Olivier Rousteing (of Balmain), and Jean Paul Gautier among others all came together to send off Elbaz in peace, with a resounding show dedicated to his life-long genius work. Valentino had some great looks (specifically a tiger-striped coat which I just have to have) although as per usual, I’ve included the best looks above.
Have a little look around, bathe in the glory of the return of sex, sun, and skin – and imagine experiencing it all in Paris. À la prochaine!