Culture
2019.07.04 23:02 GMT+8

Organic, fur free and Chinese styles mark Paris couture week

Updated 2019.07.04 23:02 GMT+8
CGTN

A model walks the runway during the Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, July 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

Celine Dion and Gwyneth Paltrow added star power to the finale of Paris couture week by gracing the verdant Valentino collection. Meanwhile, Jean Paul Gaultier followed through on his pledge to go fur free, as Elie Saab reached a creative high with inspiration from China.

Here are some highlights from Wednesday’s fall-winter 2019 couture displays.

Valentino is original

Luscious green trees that were installed inside the Valentino venue scraped the ceiling, wafted in fresh air and provided some shade for celebrities Paltrow, Dion, Naomi Campbell and Kristin Scott Thomas as the Paris sun scorched guests.

A model walks the runway during the Valentino Fall/Winter 2019 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, July 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

This season, Pierpaolo Piccioli celebrated the organic: In its literal sense, through floral and bird-shaped embroideries, and figuratively, with ethnic fringes, crystals, gold baubles and sections that seemed to grow out of dresses and headpieces.

It made for a highly original show.

Collar bands that were constructed with beautiful black feathers mixed with long, Renaissance-looking “intarsia” capes.

A model walks the runway during the Valentino Fall/Winter 2019 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, July 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

There was even a loose, pink sequined gown that looked ready for the disco.

It was a diverse show that brimmed with ideas, but one that was sometimes hard to pin down as a whole.

Piccioli included a disclaimer in the program notes: “Trying to explain it all... would be betraying the deepest meaning of the journey.”

The standing ovation followed, and as the soundtrack blasted, a smiling Dion mouthed the words, “You make me feel like a beautiful woman.”

Amid the rousing applause, all the couture artisans that worked on the collection came out to cheers and hugged the house founder Valentino Garavani, who sat with Paltrow on the front row.

Coco Rocha walks the runway during the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, July 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

Jean Paul Gaultier fakes it

Fake fur and authentic celebrities got all the attention at Gaultier.

In a corseted gown, singer Christina Aguilera held court with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Violet Chachki and Miss Fame, as well as French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve at the fur-free show.

Last November, animal rights groups hailed Gaultier’s announcement that he is joining the growing ranks of designers to ban animal fur from their collections.

The designer used this as a muse for a playful fall-winter collection that used feathers to mimic real fur on 1980s-themed looks with a funky retro soundtrack and flashes of bright color.

An oversize Russian winter fur hat, or chapka, looked initially like the genuine article and shimmered alongside a red “fox” bubble jacket. They were, so said the program notes, all constructed in marabou feathers.

Models walk the runway during the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, July 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

Leopard print graced a billowing chiffon gown, geometric zebra stripes jazzed up diaphanous pant look, and all this was followed by a “panther” coat with oversize collar that was made with jacquard.

A blood red silk coat, which was the strongest look in an excessively theatrical display, opened up with its wide collar as if to evoke a carcass cut open, albeit in a very elegant way.

Elie Saab’s Asia

Amid mysterious clouds of Persian blue mist, Elie Saab fashioned up a standout couture collection Wednesday using the symbolism of China.

The Lebanese designer reimagined traditional Chinese drawings through embroideries with sequins, paillettes and sparkle that depicted fauna and flora; elements, the house said, that represent powerful protective spirits in Eastern legend.

Models walk the runway during the Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, July 3, 2019. /VCG Photo

“Nature, through mystical creatures and divine characters, sparked the curiosity of the designer, inspiring him to translate them into his very own art,” it added.

Long diaphanous tulle, velvet and chiffon trains brought a magical romance to Saab’s bread-and-butter silhouette of sexy, cinched waist gowns. Models with decorated tiaras walked to Asian traditional music.

There were some sophisticated and thoughtful fashion designs amid the show production — for instance, the famed Chinese traditional dress, the Cheongsam, was reimagined in a light tuxedo-style with a provocatively open bust.

Source(s): AP
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