If you’re sartorial hutzpah has gradually dwindled as we near the end of AW24’s fashion month season, then day four of Paris Fashion Week’s shows provided a much-needed injection of design energy to rewake the senses. The runways of Loewe, Giambattista, Nina Ricci and Victoria Beckham brought a level of unparalleled sophistication and elegance to proceedings, as well as a FROW of glittering A-listers, reinterpretations of the tuxedo, and the ‘new’ buckle we’ll all be wearing come September.
The Inspirations
Fashion is almost as synonymous with the name Beckham, as is football at this rate so it was for the designer to reveal that she had been pondering a ‘wardrobe as a source of inspiration in a more literal sense’ in the lead up to her runway show. The idea manifested itself at Friday’s presentation in deconstructed jackets and trousers, floaty dresses - inspired by sheets hung up and drying on washing lines in the wind- , as well as wire hanger-like buckles (our favourite design note of the whole collection, we might add).
Meanwhile, Loewe was a true celebration of classic traditionalism, with a twist. In the show notes, the brand said that the intention was an exploration of ‘tailoring and couture’ and ‘clothing with presence’. The idea resulted in a mixture of masculine and feminine tailoring, from an Etonian morning suit to a beaded dress of floral tapestry, biker boots and straight cuts, and soft lines of Squeeze bags contrasting with flowing trousers.
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A refined and sophisticated interpretation of 2023's Barbiecore made its way onto the catwalk at Giambattista Valli. The backstage’s moodboard featured inspirations of Ryan Murphy’s hit series Feud: Capote vs The Swans and resulted in a bevy of models taking to the brightly-lit runway in a colour wheel of fuchsia, floral-patterned fabrics, baby pinks and salmon hues. According to the brand’s designer, the collection was inspired by his friend Lee Radziwill, the ex-princess and sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who died earlier this year aged 85. (Calista Flockhart played Radziwill in Murphy’s series).
Harking back to the Nina Ricci legacy, Harris Reed’s AW24 collection for the brand showed the Central St Martins’ graduate’s laser focus on the importance of sharp tailoring with a expected touch of the theatrical. The designer took inspiration from a Richard Avedon photograph of model and actor Suzy Parker dressed in a tweed Nina Ricci dress with a fur-lined hood. The collection successfully crossed the boundary between nostalgia and forward-facing with a mélange on peplum and asymmetric skirts, figure-hugging gowns and contrasting fabrics. 'It was really this like almost annoyed, aloof iconic-ness that she had that I fell in love with,' creative director Harris Reed said before the show. 'It kind of set the energy for what I wanted Nina to be.'
Nina Ricci saw Reed provide his modern-day interpretation of 'a sleek, French woman through an American lens', he says. Using Parker's photo as inspiration, the designer added hoods trimmed with faux shearling to trenches, and a coat made of tweed with a peplum finish.
The Clothing
While much was made of Beckham’s orthopaedic boot and Alaïa’s Le Coeur pump pairing and PETA runway intruder, the fashion designer brought some girl power (pardon the pun) to her collection, reinterpreting classic tailoring and outerwear with exaggerated shoulders, relaxed trousers, and high collars that elongated models’ statuesque forms. If you’ve long been styling your knitwear’s arms over your shoulders, it’s time to take this trend one catwalk step further in autumn à la Beckham’s models, who wore merely the sleeves of knits and blazers, leaving many of their backs bare.
Loewe gave onlookers a tutorial in the blending of masculine and feminine tropes with ease, too. Think neckties, oversized buckles, sculptural short dresses, and expert draping. Prints and quality fabrics were a staple in the collection, with our particular favourite being a tartan ‘in mille feuille-sliced chiffon’, according to the brand. Over at Nina Ricci, it was a true celebration of the female form with a collection drawing on sensuality, with draped silk dresses, lace bodysuits, and a plethora of sheer, with added character thanks to pillbox hats and faux fur coats. Elsewhere bows were used as scaffolding, rather than decoration, while a jewellery collaboration with Hugo Kreit added some necessary hardware and texture.
The Accessories
Known for her astute eye for accessories, Beckham showed a parade of flatform loafers and 'B' buckle bags (of course). Looking to her family for inspiration, she also presented bag which had a handle inspired by a briefcase bought for her husband in Tokyo.
Whereas once we’d feel nauseous up at the sight of grandma-esque 1980s floral-printed paisley curtains (and matching sofa covers), Loewe left us lusting over its beaded floral-printed biker boots and left us wondering how we can beg, steal and borrow a pair of its belt-inspired heeled shoes. The brand also played with proportions in new ways, debuting its famous Flamenco Purse in a new large size, and exaggerating buckles.
The Sets
Beckham showed at Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild in the heart of Paris' Saint Germain, a private mansion and historical monument which was also the location du choix of Rihanna for her debut Fenty clothing line in 2016. The designer added a touch of warmth to the wood-panelled floors and cold stone walls with crowds of white candles, housed in glass jars.
If colour drenching interiors have caught your eye of late, then you’ll have loved Loewe’s set, hued in three shades of pistachio greens inspired by the abundance of greenery in the work of Albert York, the American painter known for his idyllic landscapes and floral still lifes owned by the likes of Jackie O (18 works of art featured on the walls). Elsewhere the show space was conceived as a maze-come-art gallery, according to the brand's show notes.
Gare Des Invalides, a mysterious former train station, hosted the Giambattista show, with soft overhead white lighting forming the backdrop to the largely neutral and monochrome-hued collection. Meanwhile, a historic auditorium – Salle Wagram – was a fitting choice for the Nina Ricci show with flashlights providing a spotlight to highlight the finest details of the clothing.
The Front Row
In true Beckham fashion, the whole family (minus Romeo) sat FROW at the show, applauding the matriarch at the end of the presentation, as did Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. Beckham's husband David said of his wife and recent foot injury: 'She’s good. It’s been a nightmare for her. She’s in pain but she’s all right. She’s strong. The collection is out, and that’s the most important thing.'
Over at Loewe, stars like Emily Ratajkowski, Shaun Mendes, Emilia Clarke and Meg Ryan sat on the FROW, while Emily In Paris couple Ashley Park and Paul Forman walked down the aisle in co-ordinated white looks (yes, really) at Giambattista.
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