It may come last in the calendar of international fashion weeks, but Paris has always been the most anticipated and talked about show even in the USA. This year’s Paris Fashion Week was a truly powerful and memorable event. And, as usual, it was not all about fashion – the French capital definitely had much more to offer during the week.
Chanel 'launched' a rocket
On Tuesday, Chanel presented its line of interstellar fashion in a very spectacular manner. To the tune of Elton John’s classic hit "Rocket Man," an impressively realistic mock rocket literally took off from the center of the runway.
Fortunately, it stopped its voyage into the open space just before hitting the glass ceiling of Grand Palais museum!
Model mistreatment scandal
The news story of the season was sparked by casting agent James Scully. Last week, in an Instagram post, he commented on the poor conditions at castings – no food, long hours, etc. This post, however, generated a grander discussion about the significance of diversity on the runway. Some brands like Vivienne Westood, Miu Miu, Dries van Noten, and others for years have been casting models of all ages and races. There is hope that with the seasons to come more designers will follow in their steps, and will even start casting models of more unconventional body types.
New fabric challenges the use of leather and swede
Two years ago, Karl Lagerfeld sent down the catwalk 24 couture creations made of the fur of exotic animals such as Persian lamb, Astrakhan, bison, and mink, which, of course, led to the immediate reaction of the animal rights activists. This year, Stella McCartney launched the “skin-free skin” fabric – an animal friendly leather imitation which is believed to challenge the fashion industry’s current use of leather and swede for good.
The British designer ended her Paris Fashion Week with a surprise tribute to the late George Michael.
Daring outfit takes over the front row
Without a doubt, the Front Row bombshell of the Paris Fashion Week was Nicky Minaj’s bare breast. She attended the Heider Ackerman show wearing an outfit which left little to the imagination.
The biggest message of this year’s Fashion Week collections was celebrating uniqueness rather than sticking to one theme. And now, after eight days of nonstop shows, performances, and parties, the show is over. Au revoir, Paris, see you next season!
