PARIS – (AP) – Chanel brought Paris Fashion Week to its final day with a catwalk show that illustrated how designers and the people who dress them are optimistic about the future.
Fashion is supposedly a mirror of our time – and the spring-summer collections shown here were sexy, lively and happy despite or perhaps because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The catwalk show was staged in an outbuilding by the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday evening in front of a reduced audience, but the location had nothing to do with the pandemic. The normal venue, the Grand Palais, is being renovated for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
American actress Kristen Stewart rocked late for the Paris stalwarts show in a pink Chanel skirt suit. The French-American model actress Lily-Rose Depp also showed up for Chanel.
Here are some highlights from the last day of the prt-à-porter collections:
CHANEL IS CUT ON THE BEACH
Fitting enough for a paparazzi-themed show, a group of insane watchdogs rushed to Stewart’s too late to take their place. The guests had to look twice to see who the late invitee was because the “Twilight” star looked almost unrecognizable. The actress, a Chanel ambassador, wore a chic blonde beehive for her latest role as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” which was partially filmed in Paris and due for release in November.
Designer Virginie Viard was in a slippery spring mood. The subject was the lens, and real photographers, including from The Associated Press, crowded for a red carpet podium freestyle routine instead of queuing in their normal crush. The models posed theatrically, with centimeters on their legs and diaphragm. The scene made Depp laugh.
The collection was all about swimwear. Sporty monochrome bikinis were worn with cascading silver necklaces, pendants, and talismans. Strong black and white contrasts and large statement buttons conveyed a touch of the 1980s.
Chanel’s bread-and-butter skirt suits have been jazzed up with colorful stripes and patterns, as if they were lifted straight out of a Saint Tropez bikini. Unfortunately, Viard didn’t seem to push its creative limits this season.
The beach mood and optimism at a time when the pandemic still has limited exotic vacations could stem from a desire to project hope of an early return to freedom of travel. Or was it about giving the guests a chance to dream?
MIU MIUS quirks
The powerful first row of celebrities defines Miuccia Prada’s quirky little sister brand Miu Miu as well as the familiar humor and eccentric contrasts of clothing.
This season, 21-year-old American actress and singer Halle Bailey – the star of Disney’s upcoming “The Little Mermaid” – drew the lion’s share of the camera shots in a front row, which included British model designer Alexa Chung.
In terms of fashion, the display was unusually sober and reduced. Black, brown and the orange of fallen leaves brought an autumnal color palette to the spring / summer catwalk – a typical and deliberate contradiction of the unpredictable Italian designer.
In looks that mixed clothes with street art, a casual school vibe that permeated the 50 look show. As usual for Miu Miu, the collection had a lot of quirks.
A gray cable-knit sweater had its waist cut off, along with frayed white shirt hems.
Prada has also cut the legs completely on some pale men’s office pants, which gives the pieces the funky low style of a tennis skirt. Men’s wool socks were worn high like tights.
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Thomas Adamson can be found at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamson_K. to be tracked
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