Paris lived up to its moniker City of Lights for fall 2019 as lights were a key tool in showcasing the vision of The Impression’s Top 10 from Paris.
In point, the entire showing of Saint Laurent, which took our number one spot, was designed to be showcased in specific light. The opening of sober broad shouldered and sleek outerwear was revealed under downfacing followspots that felt as if they came off the Berlin Wall in the ’80s as models in sunglasses strode through the night. As Moroccan inspired influences brushed into eh collection the backwalls reflected the looks as poles of light strobes flicked to create the illusion of starry nights. The coup de grâce came in the form of a sea of neon looks showcased in blacklight to give focus to the silhouette or feather fabrication. It was a tour de force for Anthony Vaccarello and the team at Saint Laurent making the point, perhaps directed to a previous designer of the house, that Saint Laurent owns the night and the City of Light.
On the opposite end of the light spectrum, Chanel owned daylight setting the houses moving tribute to Karl Lagerfeld in an alpine village complete with a backdrop of mountain peaks and snow-topped chalets as a nod to Lagerfeld’s German roots. It was the iconic designer’s final collection designed in collaboration with his successor, Virginie Viard, his right hand for more than 30 years. As angelic all-white looks closed the collection models walked down the runway to David Bowie’s “Heroes” to an extended, tearful, standing ovation. The moment was heartfelt and the collection was as strong as the man that stood behind it since 1983.
In his sophomore outing for Celine, Creative Director Hedi Slimane saw the light and adopted the houses design code in the collection that celebrated bourgeois Parisian chic. The collection was jammed packed with subtle and thinly sophisticated details that didn’t scream for attention but once discover commanded it. Ultra-fine gold horsebit d-rings were precisely placed throughout the collection and denim was made meaningful paired with over the knee
Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior embraced sisterhood and continued to play with the meaning of modern dressing for a modern woman. Rick Owens found The Hunger in his sexiest collection to date. Pierpaolo Piccioli painted a beautiful poem dedicated to the love of love. While Nicolas Ghesquière continued to push design toward the future with a ‘geolocated’ collection of tribes designed to shine some light on the future.
Overall it was an eventful and enlightening showing from Paris that lived up to its namesake with good reason. Here
