While the majority might have been enjoying a sleepy Sunday, those involved in the fashion cycle were served the opposite as the day began with a buzzy Balenciaga, soon followed by a hyper-glam Valentino. Then, on Monday it was up with the larks once again to see Stella McCartney's latest and to bed late after Coperni's showing. Here's everything you need to know about the latest Paris Fashion Week shows.
The Inspirations
At Balenciaga, Demna looked to Cristobal's Balenciaga with an eye on his signature subversiveness cutting through as expected for a collection that fell on the 10th anniversary of the designer breaking out with his Vetements line.
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Amongst the homages was a spin on the Balenciaga Bubble dress, this time in a mermaid-tail silhouette and other dresses complete with 'hip-aulette' construction. Overall, the collection had a look to construction, with pieces coming made entirely of bras or mashed together like a pile of washing might appear; a pair of jeans worn over the torso was also among those put in place to challenge once again what we perceive as luxury .
At Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli limited his colour palette to just black. The show notes explained this decision was not intended to be about monochrome, but instead 'the discovery of an entire spectrum of shades, infinitely nuanced, within one.' Piccioli also looked to works — and especially the use of black — by artists including Mark Rothko, Pierre Soulages and Constantin Brâncuși. This choice felt particularly striking at the hands of Piccioli, who is known for his use of vibrant colours though he has worked with a singular shade in the past in his AW22 all-pink show. 'Piccioli, has always considered colour a powerful channel of immediate and direct communication,' said the show notes. 'One consistently utilised as a means of recalibrating perception, reappraising form and function.' It continued: 'As a colour, black has always held within itself a multitude of definitions and meanings, ever-transforming, perceived by all. Representative of universality and individuality, of uniform and idiosyncrasies, black physically functions like no other colour, absorbing light. Likewise, philosophically, it absorbs our projected cultural definitions and ramifications, memories and meanings. Here, black can become a colour not of sobriety but of exuberance, a shade that offers a rebellion to romance.'
Stella McCartney looked to two mothers for her collection's inspiration. First, was Mother Earth, with the show notes saying the collection embodied 'Stella’s role as a voice for the planet.' The second mother was her own, Linda, who died in 1998. A fierce advocate for vegetarian living long before it became de rigueur, her daughter was inspired by her conscious choices as well as her preferred silhouette, notable in drape-sleeved dresses with extra padding in the shoulders and gowns with dramatic trains or forest-friendly viscose satin V-neck dresses.
The Clothes
At Balenciaga, a smörgåsbord of ideas and clothing to make for an expansive collection that merged the haute with gimmicky leisurewear (including a riff on Keep Calm and Carry On, red-carpet gowns and fashion-editor favourite layering to successful effect. On the most novelty front were Balenciaga dust bags, backpacks and nylon gym bags upcycled into tops, skirts and dresses. A fun note on rewear that read more wearable than reading it might.
Demna, who also produces couture collections at Balenciaga, hinted at the ability of the atelier and its salon's legacy with the opening look of twisted debutante gowns, contrasting later with what have been dubbed 'one minute designs.' As the show notes read, these pieces are comprised of 'various clothing items thrown together and sewn as one new garment. Example: three hoodies combined to make a dress, the lowermost being inverted so that its sleeves create a mermaid tail (this is a reinterpretation of the iconic Balenciaga bubble dress)'. Another example of this was the closing look, entirely constructed of bras.
Despite been singular in hue, the Valentino collection was also a rich, complex showing of what the house can do with its remarkable team of artisans. Here, pieces were starved of the ability to standout in hue so did so in texture instead with shards of sequins, leather skirt suits and beautiful, tender laser-cut lace dresses employed for points of interest.
Alongside this, Piccioli revisited key signifiers of the Valentino DNA, through the use of rosettes, ruffles, embroideries, lace where 'fragility [is] afforded a strength,' read the notes. The tactile approach to the collection was achieved with the intention of seeing the pieces fall across the body like shadows.
Let's start with the fact that 90% of Stella McCartney's collection was crafted from responsible materials, while also remaining free from leather, feathers, fur and exotic skins. Instead, pieces like croc trench coats and skirts are constructed from UPPEAL™️, which is an apple-based vegan alternative to animal skins.
One of the collection's most standout feature was the hand-knitted looping ropes in responsible alpaca yarn. These directional pieces might not be fit for the everyday wardrobe, but they offered the show an elevation and pitch on out-there creativity in contrast to the run of other looks that felt instantly able to be slotted into the wardrobe for now, be it in the deliciously coloured louche tailoring, glow-up denim or silky evening dresses worn with thigh-high boots.
It's worth noting McCartney's self-referential pieces, too, where the designer pulled out a shining motif seen in her collection for Chloé in 2000 to fresh appeal that her nostalgic clients are sure to adore.
The Accessories
Forget wearing you iPhone cross-body, as Balenciaga put forward the idea of a wrist bracelet to carry your device instead. Sure, this was the accessory that the front row 'grammed heavily, but don't overlook its 24/7 mask, sure to be a hit with Demna devotees who are able to shop the style now. On the handbag front, big bags are back at Balenciaga, with large totes swinging in a variety of styles to prove the era of the little bag might be over.
For its all-black collection, a range of matching accessories that each picked up a prim and proper mood with the shiny and glossy breaking through with a retro appeal, as well as the blackout shades worn with matching black lipstick.
Stella McCartney has always pioneered sustainability in her work, creating collections with greener than green credentials. With her handbags this season, she encouraged a rewear by putting forward her long-loved Falabella style, nestled in the crooks of arms. The other accessory of note here was the balaclava that proves it'll endure next season too.
Coperni was able to once again score a viral moment with its use of technology. Its Air Swipe bag was remarkably made of 99% air and just 1% glass in being made of NASA's nanomaterial silica aerogel, the lightest solid on planet Earth with this bag weighing just 33 grams.
The Sets
There was no room for Sunday morning snoozing as Balenciaga's staging at Les Invalides turned the show venue into a 360-degree screen, broadcasting images sourced via AI and algorithms in neon brights and pixels 'tracking a narrative timeline from morning to night over natural and electronic landscapes', according to the show notes. It was as if you had stepped inside the Internet, as the images constantly changed with quickening pace. 'Editing, splicing, content, sharing, scrolling: each element and more plays across the monitors.'
Valentino embraced the Parisian surroundings by hosting its show in an 18th-century townhouse complete with the baroque features you'd expect of one of the capital's buildings from this time period. Here, the all-black collection was offered a lavish, luxe context that highlighted the stripped-back impact of the monochrome palette. In another setting, an alternative message could have permeated but this clearly wasn't minimalism for minimalism's sake but instead a not on refinement.
Stella McCartney made the most of the Monday morning sunshine by hosting her AW24 show in a former Citroën factory made entirely of glass allowing the natural light to flood the space. A different story might have played out if last week's downpours had run into this week too, but here nature was onside to make for a sunny display. As the show began, a manifesto was read by Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren – mouthed by eco activists on sustainable screens that played out across the space.
Coperni staged its late-in-the-evening show in a suitably dim-lit scene. Models walked around a large light box as it cast a bright white hue across the room, illuminating the brilliant white pieces in the collection best.
The Front Row
At Balenciaga, Demna loyalists turned out in support of the designer as per. Isabelle Huppert was there in a fabulous all-leather ensemble, Kim Kardashian in contrast wore top-to-toe lace, Serena Williams stood out in a shock of cobalt blue, while Stella Maxwell, Amelia Gray, Joan Smalls, Paloma Elsesser and Vittoria Cerretti swapped the runway for a pew instead.
Valentino attracted a starry cast and crew who happily turned out in Piccioli's glamorous wares despite the Sunday afternoon call time, when wind and rain fell heavy. Simone Ashley braved the chill to wear a short suit and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley opted for tonal grey. Adut Akech, the face of the brand's perfume Born in Roma, took a seat wearing a bow-detailed mini dress and wrapped up in cape.
At Stella McCartney's show, an unsurprisingly musical turn out. On the FROW, Stella's dad, Paul McCartney, was nestled beside Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael, and his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr. Other guests included MIA, Charlotte Rampling, Naomie Harris, Ashley Graham and Jameela Jamil.
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