Part 1 of 2: Paris Fashion Week is Full of Excitement

PART 1: A Review of Kenzo, Chloé, Céline, and Givenchy Spring 2014 Collections.

From Left: A wine embroidered draped dress from Givenchy SS14; an olive pleated dress from Chloe; and the back of Celine blue pleated top

Paris Fashion Week is about to end, but that hasn’t stop Paris from showcasing some of the top labels from the fashion industry. Some made a very surprising presentation like at Celine with its giant strokes of art tailoring and Givenchy in its number of intense draped jersey dresses, while others kept their lines luxe commercial like at Chloe’s modern fabrics , Stella McCartney’s intriguing sporty silhouettes, and Elie Saab’s injection of lace that would look great from daywear to evening. Saint Laurent also infused its bias grunge aesthetics into metallics, deep v-cut colored dresses, and of course black leather looks. And all this happened in only two days that explains why Paris is still the center of Fashion. 

Kenzo has turned its logomania items – tiger sweatshirts, blankets, hats – and prints into iconic items anyone can afford to wear and look cool. If it weren’t for those sweatshirts, I believe I probably wouldn’t have been intrigued to seeing their progress or writing about this label. Or it’s probably ever since designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim were appointed creative directors to the house that have turned Kenzo into a pocket friendly and desirable brand among teenagers. You won’t leave a Kenzo show without being submerged into an overwhelming amount of prints that while it may not work for critics it sure does turn the switch for its younger audience. Humberto and Carl know their marketing skills very well, because if an eye design can sell pretty well, I bet their new series of melting-fish and scribbled waves – in blue, pink, and red – will be swept away and turned into the next street style moment. New were few outfits designed with patches of thick contrasting strips.

Chloé may have also demonstrated to be one of the most effortless and chic girls when it came to true casualwear at its spring 2014 collection Sunday morning. We already know Chloé is one of the labels girls trust when on a busy daywear schedule. You don’t want to look overly dressed, but neither too casual. And over the time, the lovely balance between a boyish rigor and feminine fabric that has become the signature of the brand seems to be shifting around into only relaxed feminine appeal with the exception of its cool cropped trousers. Creative director, Clare Waight Keller, was thinking about modernity – giving clothes and effortless look with more movement through lighter fabrics.

She played around with fabric and proportional details that added a mighty brisk to the new collection – lightweight chiffon dresses that were made to wear for any woman (no ultra-revealing transparency that would require someone to add another slip-dress underneath); super-chic georgette tops and jacquard looks; rough lace dresses; and edgy pleated designs that gave a great amount of texture and attitude to the clothes. Ms. Keller exceled at introducing her vision of a new Chloé without forgetting the boyish swirl Chloé has been so fond of in very thoughtful olives, whites, blues, and black paired with casual sandals. And a small dose of pale pink to brighten things up.

At Céline, Phoebe Philo gave her clothes another different type of movement through her asymmetrical number of pleated skirts painted with gorgeous brushes of strokes over effortless pieces of tailored T-shirts and tank tops that were artwork. What were more intriguing is how she played exquisitely well with colorful pleated tops taken from knits.

 This collection was the most surprising and one of the best to date so far from Philo. She took art and she referenced it perfectly on her designs. Art is a form of movement, freedom, and a state of mind. These clothes were powerful for the woman who knows how to wear them - especially her number of artistic coats with opening gold circles etched on them and graphic buckets of paints spilled on some. They’ll be a hit next season together with her creative selection of shoes and handbags. 

Riccardo Tisci's Givenchy also surprised everyone with his more mature take on draping. Everyone knows who Tisci is now: the guy who hangs around with Kanye West and designs one of the best graphic t-shirts and sweatshirts according to his young clientele.  He knows that’s what sells the most, and prices them at very high values. Whether a lot of work goes into an ordinary black “Pervert” t-shirt or not, he knows it’ll sell at any price he stamps on it. 

This time he let go of those graphic statements and put his work on draping these dresses in several different manners. It felt like watching an advanced draping segment video lesson; they somehow felt awkwardly delicate. His final pleated ones in metallic embroidery and sequins were the ones that were eye catching. Tisci really did push the boundaries here without letting go of his signature dark atmosphere. His spring 2013 collection didn’t work, but this succeeded. 
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Continue Reading more -->Part 2 of 2: A Continuation of Commercial Paris Collection