When it comes to fashion month, the best is saved for the end. Paris Fashion Week is always a seven-day extravaganza, showing off pieces from companies like Isabel Marant and Chloé and having the most renowned models like Kaia Gerber and Gigi Hadid. The Fall/Winter 2019 shows have officially ended with the Paris collections closing out this season and of course, the world’s fashion capital brought some exciting stunts to the runway. Here are our favorite shows from the roster:
Hermès
Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, Hermès’ creative director, defines the brand as “classicism as a modern way of seeing life,” a philosophy that lifts the label’s modus operandi of whatever trend might be galloping through fashion at any given moment. This philosophy was clearly shown in Vanhee-Cybulski’s F/W 2019 runway. The house’s ultimate pieces were its scarf-print silk blouses blazed with a combination of lovely rust tones à la Hermès orange. The same iconic color was also popping on the lining of a roomy, ivory cocoon coat in double-face cashmere. This compelling collection honored the house code and color palette while injecting subtle rebellious touches. Its attitude was chic but not uptight and even sexy at the same time.
Isabel Marant
Unlike her past two collections, the French designer left experiments behind and decided to go back to her favorite iconic clothes. She showed her muse as the archetypal global traveler with a taste for style and adventure. In a palette that varied within beige and khaki tones, wrap dresses with an 80s volume were the key pieces and had a military influence coming through in the casual cargo pants. As a designer who has never needed to follow trends, this collection stayed true to her signature with a tomboy, boho and disco aesthetic.
Chloé
Creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s clothes matched the model’s personalities rather than impose a certain style on them. It was a chic and sophisticated collection that was all about wearability with considered details. Her fall 2019 runway showed the everyday wardrobe needs of a 21st-century active woman, featuring equestrian tailoring bent to a woman’s will. Ramsay-Levi was inspired by the pioneering female French sailor, Florence Arthaud, who braved the wild, so there were lots of nautical knits and funnel neck cardigans over a moss green military skirts with patch pockets. The cherry on top of the pastel was Chloé’s signature feminine blouses with ribbed knit cuffs that added a comfort factor.
Off-White
This Fall 2019 Ready-to-Wear was inspired by the codes of the turbo-charged world of motor racing, including checkered flags and racing overalls. Virgil Abloh seems so confident in the brand’s momentum that instead of including signature markers, he now uses the stage as a platform to expound on his brand values. Checkered patterns appeared as an Op Art pattern on baggy sweaters and as a yellow combination in split dresses with trains modeled by the power quartet of Adut Akech, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid.
Chanel
The show opened with the gorgeous Cara Delevinge, introducing pilings of tweeds, going down the long, snowy length of the Grand Palais. While the palette was somber – black, gray, brown and white – the mood was anything but. There was a relaxed array of trouser suits, separates and sweater dressings. The show ended with a set of fabulous, round-the-clock whites, from puffers to charming feathered cocktail dresses. The runway ended with a moment of silence commemorating Karl Lagerfeld, whose reign at Chanel ended in a serene and snowy setting.
All images courtesy of Paris Fashion Week. Collages created by Valeria Rivadeneira.