Final Runway Report: Paris Part Une

Man, it feels good to be back! Hey! Hi! How's it going!

Paris Fashion Week is underway and so I circle back to a point I made toward the end of Milan Fashion Week: just when you think you'd seen it all, holy Man Repeller it seems to get exponentially better. FOMO (fear of missing out and that's the last time I expand on that!) is manifesting itself within me as I'm still in New York and won't be in France until tomorrow, when it may be too late...but hey, a Jews got to do what a Jew has got to do. So instead of sulk in unnecessary misery I'll just deliver a recap of what I've missed. Ultimately you see, Style.com offers the most comfortable front row seat anyway.

A master of swoon worthy prints, super short shorts, covetable knits and the ability to combine all three, Isabel Marant does it again. And S/S 2012 looks like...S/S 2011. I can get behind that though, I really commend a designer who can take cues from the success of her previous collections and recreate them drawing from elements of the past and merging just that with elements of..."the future." On a more me note though, it must be pointed out, there are nipple tassels on model #2 so in the event you may have thought I was losing my flair for the Repeller (I'll admit it's happened plentiful times of the course of these weeks,) thank you, Isabel. Nothing says a chic white linen day by the beach like...nipple tassels.

Carven mastermind Guillame Henry (what a hunk, call me!) exercises continued expertise in bringing the girly girl out of his garments. Silhouettes all full, short, and crafted in lush materials get a kick of new with Luella-esque cut-outs, swing anoraks and a combination of prints designed for only one another. It's always a pleasure to see the semi-affordable brands do so well in the crazy coveted high end space.

...Speaking of that crazy coveted high end space, Dries Christ! Dries van Noten you really are Dries van Awesome. Shapeless sack dress is the name of my game and even more so just that when different prints are involved and said silhouette is placed over a pair of pants. I know, I know I keep saying it but skants are having such a monster moment. Even to the right in the all-white ensemble, a certain short peplum shouldn't go unnoticed. Lace up heels featuring no platform--something seen quite often through the course these weeks--tie the looks together in a way that so perfectly create a fantastic ending pun for me. 

...I should also note in the sporadic pop of color that Dries van Noten previewed, it seems the collection may or probably may not have taken a cue from a blog post I wrote earlier this summer. Even so...who wore it best?

And onto a collection I'd never omit from my round-up: Maison Martin Margiela shows Persian rugs as maxi skirts, and the very plastic that said rugs are typically delivered in as tops? Blazers? Shower curtains? Use your imagination. An interesting theme ran through a couple shows in Paris this weekend: evidently, the ability to see what's in front you is not chic for Spring. In this instance, Cousin It gets a well-groomed makeover. At Balenciaga however...

Space age mullet sunhats deliver the same result: temporary blindness. I'd delve deeper into it but it's far less interesting than the hot pants and re-invented power suit jackets Nicolas Ghesqiuere whipped up. One more high five for implementing arm parties, they're Lucite come spring. If any collection evokes power to women, I'd say Balenciaga is a shoe-in every season. And speaking of shoes, how about that, capes for Fall and wings for Spring. I can get down with it.

 

In usual Rochas spirit: full midi skirts and sixties style beehives. A short-sleeved sweater begging for its moment. This season has offered a somewhat unanimous departure from the bad-ass Moto jacket wearing girl in favor of a more ladylike woman, who likes to drink tea. See here its effort to bring back the headscarf. Said scarf has made its way through nearly every fashion era in some capacity and I'd say I'm fairly excited to see where this particular one goes. Does it have staying power? I'm not sure. Fiddler on the roof or Jackie O chic? Certainly! But in more salutations to a floral print of the sixties (Christopher Kane too shared a fondness for this,) we end here on a note that celebrates women acting as ladies again. You hear that? Pinkies up, suckas!