With Paris Fashion Week just concluded, the Spring 2017 season is finally complete and editors are jetting back to wherever they came from to start processing the looks for the upcoming months.
Overall, I would say that this season has been pretty uplifting, and Paris in particular has been rather good – of course, it was an extremely newsworthy week for Paris, what with four new designers taking the helm at major houses like Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Valentino (and the unfortunate incident with Kim Kardashian).
Fashion-wise, Spring 2017 is trending on plenty of colour and light, uplifting looks, and of that, I approve. Below, my favourite collections from the City of Light (in no particular order):
Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus may only be 26 this year, but his latest collection portrays a confidence that outstrips many of his older peers. While the ’80s appear to refuse to go away (it continues to have supporters in Anthony Vaccarello, Nicolas Ghesquiere and many others), Jacquemus’ take on the big shoulder trend has a more romantic vibe to it than, say, Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga.
Sleeves continue to dominate as the key area of focus for Spring 2017, and while Jacquemus’ presentation faintly recalls of Spanish matadors, it is nevertheless a testament to his signature knack for playing with architectural shapes, only far more refined this season.
I’m calling it now though – those XL straw boaters are my pick for the best of the season’s hats.
The normally stoic Lemaire and his partner, Sarah Linh-Tran eased into a more colourful palette for Spring – as you might expect from the season, but when it’s done as masterfully and sparingly as with Lemaire, it leaves you salivating for more, especially when Lemaire seldom strays from earth tones.
His is a house that continually updates your wardrobe with subtle pieces that are sublime essays in details and proportions – and in a world that’s over-saturated with garish collections made specifically for capturing “likes” on social media, Lemaire is a gem to treasure indeed.
Ackermann was doing that perfectly louche, languid silhouette years before everyone started picking up on it this year and he’s still the master at it. Though some may accuse him of being stuck in a rut, this collection, which is saturated in brilliantly zesty hues, sees him back at peak form with its razor sharp tailoring counterbalanced by his signature sensual, loose outerwear that always looks like it’s right about to slip off.
There are few women who can pull off such a look with aplomb, but his muse, Tilda Swinton, must already be reserving pieces from the front row.
Rochas definitely has one of the prettiest collections this season, Paris or not. For those days where you don’t feel like being intellectual (Lemaire) or just plain drop dead chic (Ackermann), Rochas has perfectly nailed that girly frou-frou look.
The key, I suppose, is the really beautiful mix of colours (and fabrics) here – so uncannily well done. As I said, this is a great season for attempting colour, and Anna Wintour, for one, must be overjoyed.
Who would have thought fashion’s reigning prince of goth could have such a deft hand in lightness? Rick Owens typically sticks to a palette of monochromes (think off-white, black and 5,000 shades of gray) but this season sees him breaking out of his mold.
I really like that he’s trying his hand at the likes of mauve, apricot and what is shaping up to the colour of the season – yellow (or saffron yellow, in the case of Owens’ collection).
If the final result turns out to be so beautifully rendered, Owens should really consider straying from monochromes more often, but as it is, I would say the silhouettes in this collection were well-tempered – the shapes may not be for the everywoman, but though dreamy and otherworldly, it never felt heavy nor overwrought.
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