Paris, Je T'aime - Fashionfad

Paris, known as the most romantic city on Earth, the place where people go to fall in love, the streets where everything is seen through rose-colored glasses, has captured us by storm this season with its revolutionary Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear collections. We were shifted back in time to the 1960s and 70s with curiously soft tones (perfected at Valentino), supple leather, heavy lace (striking at Chanel), light-catching neons, cut-offs, and exotic flocks of feathers (beautifully done at Alexander McQueen). These visionary trends, that ruled the Parisian catwalks, were undeniably sophisticated and unmistakably sensuous. From the garden girls and sunny colors of New York, London, and Milan, the Paris designers showed us an entirely new meaning behind “spring fashion,” concepts just as brave as they were bold.

Anne Valérie Hash inspired us with the ebb and flow of her richly soft collection through asymmetrical tailoring, ribbon-trimmed wooden platforms, and noteworthy blocks of misty colors. At Balenciaga we were taken back in time with fringed booties, antique-inspired mixed prints, a little splash of 80s punk, and fantastically cut hemlines. With tights torn by barbed wire (we can only imagine), Balmain put the sex back in sexy with sequined minis, tummy clenching leather, and studded bomber jackets. Christian Dior gave us a giddy thrill with his South Pacific-inspired sandals, sundresses, and hats trimmed with Hawaiian leis and mini hula skirts. Dries Van Noten, inspired by the 1980s Belgian painter Jef Verheyen, stirred our expectations with a significantly toned down collection of wide-legged white trousers and pastel-printed silks while Azzaro lightened our load with bouncy rompers and intricate beading. The afternoon sun set over Paris at Cacharel with neon pinks, reds, oranges, and greens in a brilliant, radiant glow. Haider Ackermann’s pieces relished amidst the natural beauty of raw silk with kimono wraps and floor-gracing trousers while Manish Arora shocked his spectators into a creative coma with screaming colors, slick plastic leggings, and quirky embellishments that commented on the true power of transformation. The structured leather dresses of Pedro Lourenço retained a futuristic feel that were both inventive and extremely relevant in a time where minimal fuss and maximum imagination rule the roost. Roland Mouret, in a step of reinvention, was thrown eye-popping admiration with his hip-hugging gowns while Tao gave us a good, hearty dose of over-the-top girlishness. Tsumori Chisato and Loewe, both known for coloring outside of the lines, dug deep into their crayon boxes this season to perfectly play into our yearning for youthful good humor. From the fearless theatricality of Viktor & Rolf and John Galliano to Vivienne Westwood’s crinkled Renaissance masterpieces, it was Zac Posen who dragged us into his boudoir for a feather-filled cocktail hour. While the giraffe-high leather platforms at Akris stole our fancy and the diatribes of David Bowie look-a-likes at Jean Paul Gaultier revitalized our wild side, it was Lanvin who really took the cake, beautifully solidifying each piece with an impeccable touch of elegance. As we were transfixed by the parted, windswept skits, dual colored dresses, ankle-hugging flats, stretch metallic, and peeping shoulder looks, we were left screaming, “Encore!” at Lanvin. The beige clad babes of Chloé were light as unadorned ballerinas, sisters perhaps to Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s austere girls, some only sporting simple boxy vests and leggings. Elie Saab and Louis Vuitton’s pieces made us nostalgic for the glamour of years past with decadent evening gowns and shoulder gracing earrings that glided past like stars in the night. Giambattista Valli’s colors invigorated us while Givenchy’s step into goth-meets-lioness frightened us, Stella McCartney’s darted pleats lengthened us while Alexis Mabille’s shoestring tights taunted us; spellbound we were, from beginning to end.

From the slouchy mid-calf boots of Isabel Marant to the sheath-covered faces of Junya Watanabe, we were reminded of the wearable and the fantastical this season in Paris, caught somewhere between a dreamful sleep and a certain reality.

Collection of Anne Valérie Hash