9 Highlights from Paris Fashion Week FW18

Paris is a place of changing times. Designers have been moving houses, Natacha Ramsay-Levi and Clare Waight Keller showed sophomore collections for Chloé and Givenchy, respectively. Yi Qin Yin, formerly at Leonard, debuted her first collection for heritage house Poiret, while the in-house team at Celine showed a collection without Phoebe Philo at the helms. But what still holds true to be the most important is good clothes—designs that tell a story, and designers that stay true to their roots. Check out some of the highlights from Paris Fashion Week below.

1. A brilliant sophomore collection by Natacha Ramsay-Levi at Chloé

It’s clear that Natacha Ramsay-Levi has become comfortable in her own skin at Chloé and what she envisions as the Chloé girl is translated in her collections. She’s strong and tough, but feminine at the same time. Long length dresses are fluid and floral printed but combined with arm cuffs and gold chains—almost like a shield of armour.

Cargo trousers and jodhpurs have become somewhat of a signature for Natacha, but what we can all agree on is her knack for accessories and shoes—her metal-capped heel boots are sure to be hits for the coming season.

2. Bright new talent at LVMH Prize 2018

The LVMH Prize project began in 2014 and is a demonstration to show LVMH’s dedication to harnessing young fashion talent. The judging panel this year includes big names in fashion including Delphine Arnault, Karl Lagerfeld, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Marc Jacobs and Sidney Toledano, amongst others.

When attending a cocktail to celebrate the shortlist of the 20 designers, a few labels caught our eye, including A Cold Wall, a British brand by Samuel Ross, Polish designer Magda Butrym, Kwaidan Edition as well as Korean designer Rok Hwang at Rokh.

3. Will Phoebephiles be turning to Loewe?

With newly appointed Hedi Slimane at Celine, Philo fans ('Phoebephiles') are left to wonder who to turn to for their new season wardrobe. Jonathan Anderson made a strong case at Loewe with deconstructed tailoring, ankle-grazing off-body dresses and plush shearling outerwear.

Loewe is designed with the intellectual woman in mind; the clothes are carefully thought out, sophisticated and never in a loud, obvious way.

4. Tailoring perfection at Altuzarra

Joseph Altuzarra is just one of the few New York designers that have moved their shows to Paris (Rodarte and Proenza Schouler are a few that come to mind).

Altuzarra hosted his show at the iconic brasserie La Coupole, and the collection was covetable and commercial and a mix of perfectly tailored pinstripe and herringbone suits, prairie dresses—all topped off with shoulder-grazing drop earrings and space-ready eyewear.

5. A lesson in restraint at Valentino

There are a few brands that are keeping it consistent and creating collections without overdoing it, and Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino is a perfect example. Yes, the collection was romantic, but what was absent was the frilly lace, top-to-toe tiny embroideries and tiny bags that don’t even fit an iPhone.

Piccioli was more pragmatic this season, and focused on clean silhouettes, florals (done on a larger scale) and expert colour-blocking. Shapes were kept long and lean, often floor length or hitting right above the ankles.

6. Full metamorphosis at Alexander McQueen

Sarah Burton channels the full life cycle of a butterfly for her collection at Alexander McQueen. Dubbed "Metamorphosis", the collection creates a wardrobe of ‘soft armour’ for the McQueen woman—pieces she can feel confident and comfortable in.

The show began with the signature McQueen tuxedo looks and the leather bustier with silk skirt dresses, but gradually morphed into larger-than-life monarch butterfly prints on dresses followed by the finale looks of tuxedo dresses and gowns with exaggerated shoulders that mirrored the shape of butterfly wings.

7. Falling for Chanel

It's easy to fall for Chanel, and we did this quite literally with their autumn-leaf covered set at the Grand Palais. First looks that came down the runway were floor-grazing coats in either shining tweeds or feathered-shoulders, then came various skirt separates adorned with a metallic brocade leaf print.

What arguably stole the show came in the form of puffy jackets that were made to resemble the classic Little Black Jacket—functional and stylish, we're ready to put our names on the pre-order list now.

8. <strong>The in-between with Céline</strong>

The House of Céline is undergoing some transition, with Phoebe Philo officially out and Hedi Slimane due to present his first collection for the house come September, it was up to the in-house team to create for FW18. The team at Céline presented a wonderfully wearable and desirable collection in the interim.

Scarves and sweater dresses were held together with signet rings, earrings and other jewellery, while the tailored suit came in a well-worn blue, served with a high-button down jacket and wide-legged trousers for good measure. It's another collection we can imagine Phoebephiles nabbing up in stores (much like the Céline store in Paris during fashion week, where items were flying off shelves).

9. A journey through space with Louis Vuitton

A courtyard (complete with large-scale ramps) served as the venue for the Louis Vuitton show, where Nicolas Ghesquière proved once again that he's a master of blending history with what's ahead.

A tightly-edited collection of wearable styles with a futuristic flair came down the spaceship runway this season. The silhouettes were timeless—think crewneck sweaters styled with pencil skirts, peplum tops worn with straight-legged trousers—while the details are what gave the looks a little extra oomph, from the diamond patterns to chain necklaces and straps that came cast in gold.

Topics

Fashion Paris Fashion Week Paris

Tatler Asia