Ren Padilla, Staff Writer
Paris Fashion Week definitely goes big. From gorgeous fashion runway sets to beautifully constructed garments, there is no way to disappoint! Most of the shows from this Fashion Week were very dramatic. There were three famous design collections that stuck out to me the most: Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. They all had bold and sexy collections for the spring 2012 season.
I absolutely adore the Alexander McQueen collection. “It’s all about femininity and womanhood. It wasn’t really meant to be fetishistic. It’s about embellishment and celebrating women’s beauty,” said Sarah Burton, the designer for the label, to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).
Her collection draws attention to the waist with a tiny bodice and accentuated skirts. She countered these with puffed-out baby dolls and gowns, imparting a flirtatious look as the models walked down the runway. In addition, all of the models wore headdresses that engulfed the head almost like a shower cap, but accompanied by a beautiful sheer lace that matched the garment. She showcased colors from gold, blue, black and white. The most memorable garment for me was a form fitting sheer black and off-white dress. The headdress was attached to the neckline of the dress and covered the whole face. The black pattern seemed to be shaped like bats.
Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for Chanel was elegant and provacative. His collection was inspired by an under-the-sea theme. The whole runway was white with huge sculptures that looked like coral and sea shells. The backdrop had circular lights that gave the impression of bubbles under water as the models walked from backstage. The collection lived up to the extravagant set. “The clothes connected to the theme via a mostly pale palette rich with iridescence, shimmer and endless new ways to employ pearls: as borders, single-strand belts, hair and face decorations, even an exoskeletal spine down a girl’s back,” reported WWD. Most of the garments had a boxy look with lots of different textures within the fabrics. The colors mainly consisted of variations of white but also had a variety of pastels. The runway show seemed almost magical. Also during the show, Florence and the Machine performed, which was a special treat for the viewers.
Marc Jacobs set up the runaway centered around a carousel for his collection for Louis Vuitton. Later on, Jacobs preferred “merry-go-round” to “carousel,” because in his words, “I am so happy, and my life has been like a merry-go-round,” reported WWD. It was no surprise that his collection was incredibly feminine with the pastel colors and the giant merry-go-round in the center of the runway. All of the models were placed on the ponies in the merry-go-round and one by one stepped off to walk around the circular runway. Jacobs’ girls were mainly dressed in an eyelet fabric (a motif in the fabric with holes that are usually surrounded by, or shaped like flowers) and had giant pinwheel-sized flowers on his garments. The outfits seemed to be loosely fitted and the models had tiaras to emphasize the cutesy collection.
What a fashion week in Paris; I wish I was there to see all the shows first hand. It looks like spring 2012 is all about the femininity of women: flirty and fun, but staying classy!
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