Consistently ranked as one of the world’s most prominent fashion capitals, Paris has always been a style powerhouse. One of the most fashion-forward cities, Paris is classically fashionable while simultaneously staying timelessly trendy. Paris Fashion Week 2015 certainly depicted the city’s legacy.
A major occurrence at this year’s Paris Fashion Week was the Céline art collection. The creative director of the Céline brand, Phoebe Philo, teamed with Thomas Poulsen, a Danish artist working under the FOS name. The Céline collection consisted of an array of seemingly random designs, but these “disarrayed” patterns were acknowledged as brilliant and innovative, rather than awkward. The goal of Philo was to make women feel confident in their clothing choices by making bold fashion strides and experimenting with more “out there” designs.
Karl Lagerfeld—acclaimed fashion designer, artist, and photographer—was the head designer and creative director of the Chanel show. He successfully turned the Grand Palais into Brasserie Gabrielle for his show, intermingling a runway with a casual café setting. Models took seats in the brasserie’s bistro chairs after walking the runway, ordered baguettes and coffee, and took time to observe the show. A wide range of clothing styles appeared on the runway during the Chanel part of the show, such as chic black and white ensembles.
Furthermore, the season’s trends as a whole were encompassed, including the “new Chanel lady suit” consisting of quilted leather bombers and A-line skirts. Casual styles were incorporated into the Chanel spectacle as well, such as red-and-black buffalo checks made into a quilted coat and a mohair cardigan paired with flared denim trousers. There were also several skirt-over-pants outfit medleys. French chic was the dominant force, ranging from classic elegance to bohemian casual.
One of the spectacle’s most discussed shows was the Valentino portion. Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller made a surprisingly delightful appearance during the Valentino fashion show, arriving as Zoolander characters Hansel and David, to preview the anticipated sequel, Zoolander 2. Backstage Vogue and Anna Wintour herself interviewed the dynamic duo.
Vivienne Westwood’s show was also an immense success. An underlying fashion theme in the Westwood show was placing emphasis on unisex clothing designs. Westwood made sure to declare “no” to gender-based silhouettes. To further her resolve for gender fluidity, Westwood had male models wear clothing garments such as golden corsets and mini-skirts. In addition to straying from gender clothing norms, she encouraged deviating from the “normal” behavior of dressing solely according to one’s body type, such as directing petite girls to wear wide-shouldered suits.
It is safe to say that Paris Fashion Week 2015 was a successful, creative turnout with style selections appealing to the masses. Daring clothing choices were not frowned upon, but instead encouraged, and timelessly trendy fashion pieces were strategically intermixed into the performances. A round of applause is in order.