OUR PARIS FASHION WEEK REPORT
After a jam-packed couple of weeks, the sun has officially set on the spring/summer 2024 shows, wrapping up in Paris where creativity, ingenuity and integrity was in abundance.
It’s no news that the city of lights is possibly the focal point of the fashion universe and, for this reason, the hottest ticket around. All eyes were on Gabriela Hearst, who bid farewell to Chloé with her fabulous final show, as did Sarah Burton, whose designs for Alexander McQueen took to the catwalk one last time.
This is a quick re-cap of our favourite collection, top trends and eye-catching looks from this Season so far.
Stella McCartney's 'Sustainable Marketplace' setup shop on the Monday morning of Paris Fashion Week. This Season, her highly anticipated collection was inspired by McCartney’s family. McCartney’s models walked the virtually mile-long marketplace runway in a shared wardrobe that represented the family feeling she wanted to convey. Her very much inclusive silhouettes really celebrated the feeling of the next generation of fashion as we as an industry, strive to be more embracive.
The show was largely defined by the couture-like shapes McCartney proposed in a wealth of flowy dresses with dramatic sleeves, but also in dresses adorned with “wearable art” by the English sculptor Andrew Logan. McCartney exercised her excellent tailoring in voluminous his-and-hers suits that echoed the shape of her denim trousers.
As always, we love Stella's bold expressions and her ability to give the consumer access to luxury, sustainable fashion on a high-end scale. In-fact, apparently even after the show, guests were invited to peruse the market and learn about the sustainable partners McCartney works with.
For Spring / Summer 2024, Louis Vuitton decided to take us on an adventure to the Champs-Élyséees. Nicolas Ghesquière was this Season very much inspired by a kaleidoscope of prints and pattern, eras and dress codes. This season, Nicolas chose the maison’s new building on the boulevard – currently under renovation and therefore tourist-free – as his monumental show venue.
Ghesquière called upon the American production designer James Chinlund to construct a runway that would the convey the feeling of being inside a hot air balloon. For that reason, the Louis Vuitton collection made lightness its point of departure in buoyant garments that evoked the breezy, billowing effect of sails! A playful and expressive touch which we can always look forward to when it comes to the iconic household.
We loved the patterns which was very much a focal point for this collection, as English checks were twisted and turned into billowing blouses and sharply-cut flowy skirts. It was the connection of travel to design which was noted above all and seemingly a strong theme for the Spring / Summer 2024 collections overall.
As we all know, sometimes good things must come to an end, and so it's with a heavy heart that after 26 years at Alexander McQueen, ncluding 13 years as creative director, Sarah Burton presented her final collection for the brand at Paris Fashion Week.
Sarah left on a powerful note, inspired by female anatomy, Queen Elizabeth I, the blood red rose and Magdalena Abakanowicz, a transgressive and powerfully creative artist who refused ever to compromise her vision. Showing that much like the Royals, her legacy will always continue.
Burton cut her tailoring like it was skin, flaying it open in slices along the ribs, shoulders and busts. With her reference to Elizabeth I lingering at the back of the mind, and her era’s taste for torture, there was something fierce and vicious about Burton’s incisions, aggressive and agonising all at once.
We loved her powerful use of symbolism, as flowers became a central representation of Elizabeth's blood and the floral adorned knitwear which later re-materialised in all-over silver and pearl embellishments, and as adornments on tailoring and gowns.
The show was closed by Naomi Campbell and apparently the atmosphere was one of gratefulness rather than sadness. Whether you were there for 26 years of McQueen shows, 13 years of Burton shows, or simply watched from afar as we catch you up on this report, you felt lucky to have experienced it.
Naturally there is so much more to be said, admired and reminiscences about the hundreds of shows which took place this Season across New York, London, Milan and Paris over the past month but that time has come to mark the end of the 'Fashion Weeks.'
So as we look forward to seeing how these trends come to the high street and watch as influencers style these signature silhouettes across social media, we want to hear your thoughts on our reports from this Season! We want to hear your thoughts over on our Instagram posts so make sure to follow us if you aren't already and we hope you have enjoyed our roundup's of this Season.