PFW: Spotting trends and Galliano replacements at Akris, Jean Paul Gaultier and Haider Ackermann
It is always about five days into a fashion week that the trends become crystal clear. And lo and behold, there I was this morning at Akris, the 5th day of the Paris fall 2011 shows and here is what was scribbled in my notebook:
– One printed or embellished sleeve
– Coats with wide contrasting hems
– Coats and jackets with contrasting boleros or other top layers
– Turtleneck knit dresses with contrasting fabric blocks
– Burgundy
– Teal and bottle green
– Pony, lamb fur, goat and other textured hides
– Zipper details that can reveal skin or create draping
As you probably have noted, the word “contrast” appears several times above but, sorry, I am too rushed to consult Thesaurus.com! What really matters is that all of these mixes of fabrics are an evolution of two spring trends: minimalism and bright colour-blocking.
Have a look at Akris and you will see, for instance, a grey cashmere shift dress, the lower third of which is covered in gunmetal paillettes. The overall silhouette is minimal and monochromatic, but there is interest in the blocks of contrasting textures.
Other strong themes that have emerged in the last 24 hours: jumpsuits—most notably at Jean Paul Gaultier. In a show that had such chic Parisian tailoring it made we wonder whether HE should be hired by Dior, Gaultier had models strip off their coats to reveal printed silk blouses and tweed trousers. In the final parade, the models had pared down even more and it turned out the silk prints were, in fact, jumpsuits.
But back to Dior: my pick for John Galliano’s replacement is for Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci—who has couture experience—whilst Haider Ackermann takes over Givenchy. It would be wonderful to see what a man who has such a gift for draping would do with a couture atelier at his disposal. In the meantime, we must be satisfied with the swoops and swaths of velvet, satin, wool and leather—often all in the same outfit—that Ackermann presented yesterday. With Leonard Cohen’s “A Thousand Kisses Deep” on the soundtrack, it left many in tears.
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