PARIS (AP) — Art returned Tuesday to a glittering Chanel couture universe with monumental animal sculptures gathered at the center of the runway like a surreal zoo for her show at Paris Fashion Week.
Designer Virginie Viard collaborated with contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan, who used a bestiary in house founder Coco Chanel’s apartment as a creative springboard for spring carnival décor.
Yet as much as the animals—made of unpainted wood, paper, and cardboard—appeared simplified, lifeless, and monochromatic, the Chanel collection was in stark contrast, shimmering with color and sequins in an unusually vibrant display.
Here are some highlights:
Chanel Animal Show
Veilhan said he wanted to “evoke the relationship with animals that is constantly evolving in our societies.”
A front row including Marion Cotillard, Tilda Swinton, G-Dragon and Vanessa Paradis watched as a gigantic camel, bull, fish, horse and lion that looked like inflated mobiles were herded onto this strange track, under a ceiling installation of large geometric figures. discs
A bird pushed on the set with a large beak and a myriad of scruffy wooden feathers seemed to give birth to a model in a top hat and a split white riding jacket with a fringed skirt. She had guests search her cameras, with one dubbing her a “Trojan girl.”
The rest of the collection seemed less connected to the animal theme, and this level of subtlety wasn’t a bad thing. There were strong equestrian styles, based on ideas from Viard’s previous seasons. Here, the riding jacket was a key theme, constructed of shimmering silk tweeds over gamine miniskirts and girlish culottes.
There were plenty of amusing quirks in the long white gloves, black-and-white bow ties, and gold- or black-cap cinched boots with white boxer-like laces, which at times felt disconnected from the overall aesthetic.
Shimmering with brocades, paillettes, sequins, and shimmering silks, the details of this superlative and sometimes poetic haute couture spoke for themselves.
A flowing, shapeless dress shimmered like a silver fish with its thousands of embroidered sequins and its bosom of black, white, and gold silk. Elsewhere, a thickly textured flared skirt was constructed using billowing layers of white silk like an underwater shell, or perhaps a delicate stratus cloud.
The Armani Prive Circus
At the grand stone entrance of the Garde Républicaine, Giorgio Armani’s late start forced guests, some scantily clad, to wait in the freezing cold of the night. Once the green light was given, Michelle Yeoh was one of the first to walk the path of romantic lanterns, she euphorically said that she was “so happy to be here.” Then came Carla Bruni-Sarkozy extolling the “feminist power of haute couture.”
Juliette Binoche dodged questions about playing Coco Chanel in the upcoming Apple TV series “The New Look” saying “this is not for tonight, now is the time to support Giorgio, he’s a huge supporter of the artists.”
Once the media circus had died down, guests were seated on a harlequin stage lined with interlocking colored diamonds, in front of a playful collection.
Silk bolero jackets opened the display reminiscent of the 1980s, with diamonds appearing everywhere, first as 3D relief on the jackets and, most dramatically, in an enlarged court ruff.
Fastidious embroideries in every color under the sun fell over silhouettes of body-caressing columns and, sometimes, tight A-lines.
But too many styles and shapes came together in this rather comprehensive collection, with large jeweled flower appliqués, dazzling sequin-encrusted jackets and geometrically shaped scoop-neck tops, and it made the show hard to pin down as a whole.
Sometimes the garments were too structured, like a paneled dress that bunched uncomfortably at the skirt, but there was so much glitz and enthusiasm that it’s unlikely many guests would have noticed.
The color of Alexis Mabille
His couture fusion exuded drama.
French designer Alexis Mabille mixed old-school Greek draping with a take on the Indian sari in the bright colors of South Asian clothing. He produced a soft spring collection with longer silhouettes and billowing scarves that used dozens of yards of silk swept across the floor.
Jeweled flowers adorned hairstyles that, like the hanging fabrics, flowed freely.
A bottle green gown cut a sublime hourglass silhouette. She reshaped the model’s body (open on the sides, wider at the top) and held in place with a Grecian waistband. A cerulean blue gown, flowing structurelessly from a round neckline to the floor, stood out for its sheer simplicity.
Not everything was a success, however, like a slightly incongruous blue hooded dress with pointed satin lapels and a misplaced belt that was confusing to the eye.
Stephane Rolland bets on glamor
A movie projected on a giant screen for Stephane Rolland’s guests before the show featured a tribute to the 1959 film “Black Orpheus” filmed in Brazil. The film, which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, is set against the backdrop of a favela during the famous Carnival season.
But Rolland seemed more interested in carnival than the poverty of any favela, and the couture itself was highly stylized, high glamor with a touch of ballroom dancing, and, as always, highly sculptural.
The purified black and white gowns sported gigantic buzzes of fabric, one like a floor-scraping train or a massive neckband that, when the model turned, revealed a bare back. Another look, one of the best in the collection, was a minidress with a three-dimensional back and a bias-cut skirt. He shot out in a huge wave from the hip.
Rolland played to the dramatic effect of the reveals of flesh against the purity of the often clean lengths of fabric, with plunging V-lines at the neckline, split skirts, and scooped shoulders.
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