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from wwd...
If the French season had a theme song, it could be "La Vie en Rose."
Retailers hailed a stellar Paris season sparked with vivid colors, expert tailoring, innovative knits and strongly individualistic, yet still very salable, fashion statements.
"Paris Fashion Week was very good for the senses. It was a sumptuously chic but very commercial season," said Marigay McKee, general merchandising director for fashion and accessories at Harrods.
"It's been brilliant," agreed Barbara Atkin, fashion director at Canada's Holt Renfrew. "There was excitement in the presentations and in the clothes. We're buying more and more out of Paris."
Collections from such stalwarts as Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, Lanvin, John Galliano, Givenchy, Stella McCartney and Dries Van Noten earned wide praise, and designers Haider Ackermann, Andrew Gn, Martin Grant and Giambattista Valli also popped up on best-of lists.
Among key items and trends mentioned by retailers were chunky sweater coats, masculine-feminine suits, ankle boots, fur, outsized jewelry and Art Deco detailing.
Here's what buyers had to say:
Cedric Charbit, general merchandise manager of women's fashion, Printemps
"Paris was the best fashion week for next fall. Dior's show was a magnificent moment during the week. Other highlights were Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney and Lanvin. Blazers, pants, pleated skirts and sailor sweaters will be wardrobe staples for next winter. Key shapes for next fall include a higher waistline, rounder shoulders, pencil dresses and bat-wing sleeves."
Michael Fink, vice president and women's fashion director, Saks Fifth Avenue
"Dressing up is de rigueur, from chic, couture-inspired slim day suits and dresses to drop-dead glamour gowns. Pops of bright summery colors and relevant fabric innovation also signaled a shift in seasonal thinking.
"Both Dior and YSL were stunning. Sharp tailoring at Givenchy made every nautical-inspired jacket a must-have. Martin Grant's collection was absolutely outstanding. Other highlights included Nina Ricci, John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons. Sharp tailoring, rounded silhouettes, big jewels, very high heels, shoe booties, big fur, patent leather and anything shiny all continued in Paris."
Carla Sozzani, owner, 10 Corso Como, Milan
"Everyone had a very personal proposition. The very tight waist is a very beautiful silhouette. My favorites were Balenciaga, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, which was very beautiful in the showroom. Comme des Garçons is always very interesting, and Azzedine Alaia was very beautiful. Shoes are becoming more important than bags, especially really high, high heels."
Beth Buccini, co-owner, Kirna Zabete, New York
"Paris offers fashion with a capital ‘F' and never fails to make our hearts go pitter-patter. I loved Balenciaga. It was so real, yet still forward-thinking. Giambattista Valli was the chicest thing in Paris. What woman wouldn't want to look like that? Lanvin is always wonderful. I loved the continuation of the story he [Alber Elbaz] is telling: always turning the dial ever so lightly, but still enough to wow us. Nina Ricci was poetic and moody — we're really excited to see what Olivier [Theyskens] can do there. Stella McCartney is always strong and sure-handed, easy and fun."
Stephanie Solomon, vice president and fashion director, women's ready-to-wear and accessories, Bloomingdale's
"I liked the surprises and how everyone was on their own personal wavelength, from Chanel's charming take on ice skating and plaids to Olivier Theysken's light-as-a-feather L'Air du Temps collection for Nina Ricci. I loved Stella's cool, insouciant London girl and how John Galliano returned to his roots with incredible dresses cut on the bias. We picked up Hussein Chalayan and Martin Grant. Messages from Paris included the coat that makes a statement and the jacket. There was a movement closer to the body, longer and leaner silhouettes, and I loved the return of the waist. The feeling was much more sophisticated."
Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, president, Villa Moda, Kuwait
"Paris was all about volume with a capital ‘V' from both the trend and business perspectives. Stefano Pilati did his best collection since he started at YSL, while Alber Elbaz's Lanvin was amazingly chic. Olivier Theyskens' romantic L'Air du Temps debut at Nina Ricci and Dior's 58 superglam exits were both drop-dead gorgeous. Paris is taking a big part of my buying budget, more than in past seasons, thanks to the great collections, including Dries Van Noten, Valentino and Viktor & Rolf. Issey Miyake's new designer showed vision. Other standouts were Junya Watanabe, Haider Ackermann, Martin Margiela, Rue du Mail and Miu Miu."
Sarah Lerfel, buyer, Colette, Paris
"I don't think there were a lot of obvious trends in Paris. I saw lots of colors — pink, red, blue-purple, green, etc. — which is a little unusual for winter collections, even if there was some gray and plenty of black. There was lots of volume in thick wools, not as many furs as last year, big shoes and stripes. In general, it was a little bit of a sad season, and I was struck by how bored the models looked. I liked Balmain's dresses. Dior was very beautiful. I loved Hussein Chalayan's show and collection, as well as Comme des Garçons. And I'm so happy with Jeremy Scott's return to Paris."
Julie Gilhart, senior vice president, fashion director, Barneys New York
"Paris still defines so much of what a total season is about. There is just so much content here, more than New York, London or Milan. At Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquière's print story will be influencing everyone for several seasons forward. At Lanvin, Alber Elbaz captured the spirit and the mood of the entire season. Stefano Pilati at YSL executed his best show ever and took a giant, positive leap forward. Dries Van Noten gave us a beautiful collection that will sell like hot cakes. Riccardo Tisci's excellent Givenchy show will definitely be a destination for the best jackets and pants. Olivier Theyskens' first show for Nina Ricci was an exciting new direction for the house, and we expect great things from him. Rick Owens had some of the best coats."|
Polina Kitsenko, co-owner, Podium, Moscow
"Paris always offers more options. I liked Sophia Kokosalaki's new direction. I was surprised by how commercially friendly Olivier Theyskens' collection for Nina Ricci is. He's given customers a lot more opportunities to reference him. For colors, I picked up on lots of navy and gray, with more toned-down, gilded fabrics."
Linda Fargo, senior vice president, fashion office and store presentation, Bergdorf Goodman
"There was a lot to like. Continuing trends included a predominance of black, a return of great jacket options, innovative knit dressing and Art Deco references. There were many collections of special note: Balenciaga, for its global, eclectic, free-spiritedness; John Galliano, for bringing back fashion theater, directed by a master; Nina Ricci, for its dreamy winter-forest palette and innovative spiral cutting; Lanvin, for having succeeded in establishing a cool, covetable, consistent signature style; YSL, which felt
refined and polished. My favorite single look of the week? Exit number one at Giambattista Valli: the striking tomato-red A-line skirt and Vreeland-esque fitted black V-neck sweater and high-crowned men's hat."
Averyl Oates, buying director, Harvey Nichols, London
"Both John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier put on amazing productions. Balenciaga was again breathtaking: wonderful Aztec prints with the sexiest jodhpurs. There were amazing evening dresses and knitwear at Nina Ricci. Purple is definitely one of the strongest colors of the season. Lanvin did beautiful purple shifts, and I am loving the use of velvet and PVC in dresses and skirts."
Jennifer Wheeler, vice president of designer apparel, Nordstrom, Seattle
"Our designer business is on a nice trend now, and our budgets will be up. There was a real shift to a new simplicity and austerity in the clothing. It's about the jacket and tailoring, sculpted at Balenciaga but moved away from the body at Miu Miu, YSL and Lanvin. Key items and trends include the leather skinny jean to balance volumes on top; fringe and feathers as decoration, and balloon sleeves looked very interesting, whether the volume was up at the shoulders or down at the wrist. Our favorite collections were Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Nina Ricci and Andrew Gn, whose coats in particular were great."
Kelly Golden, owner, Neapolitan, Winnetka, Ill.
"Paris has been impressive with lots of couture details, especially at Andrew Gn and Nina Ricci. Overall, the emerging silhouette was voluminous yet structured. There was also lots of emphasis on the shoulder, as seen at Lanvin and elsewhere. We'll be buying lots of jackets this season. Look for lots of sleeve detail. Gray is the new black [with] amethyst for a punch of color. Best collections were Martin Grant, Lanvin and Chloé."
Marigay McKee, general merchandising director for fashion and accessories, Harrods, London
"Designers were quite individualistic. My favorites were Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy. Dior was very high octane and very expensive, but exquisite. On the other scale, Balenciaga's hippy-meets-schoolboy collection was great. Givenchy featured some great gold hardware and showcased all the trends, such as fitted suits, military insignia, long knits and skinny pants. For accessories, there were great clutch bags, ankle boots and lots of exotic skins."
Francoise Tessier, fashion director, Browns, London
"Balenciaga was hands-down my favorite collection: It was both commercial and creative. It's another dress season, which is one of the easiest categories for retail. Costume jewelry is also important, thanks in part to Alber Elbaz. He started out with those plays on pearl chokers and has just kept on going. And with this season's clothes being cleaner and smarter, it's a necessary element."
Ken Downing, senior vice president, fashion director, Neiman Marcus, Dallas
"The excitement here was in the continuation of color, which we saw particularly at Balenciaga and Christian Dior. Hot pink came on really strong in Paris, and it's something the fashion customer will want, even if it's just an accessory, like the hot-pink shoes at Stella McCartney. Also, that whole polished, dressed-up look continued here in Paris, and there was one terrific jacket after another. Dresses and tunics continue, and the idea of a coat and dress combination looked very new to us. We loved the cardigan coat, and there are terrific knits all over the market. There's a very lovely, nostalgic quality to a lot of clothes that still feels very modern. The customer is going to be able to dress to her personal style. Our favorite collections were Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Lanvin and YSL."
Sarah Rutson, fashion director, Lane Crawford, Hong Kong
"What I have especially loved is the way Paris executed a new play of volume that looks modern. It's been done in a more tailored, refined and controlled way. YSL was flawless, modern and contemporary — the strength volume executed perfectly. At Givenchy, Ricardo Tisci made an excellent statement in the tailoring that we feel exceptionally strongly about. In the showroom, Chloé is amazing. Paolo Melim Andersson has done an amazing job, moving away from the sweet girlishness. Miu Miu was totally spot-on. And I couldn't end Paris without mentioning Haider Ackermann. I was left breathless with the perfection of draping, layering, mixing of suedes, leathers and chiffons, plus he had the most beautiful color palette of the season."
Barbara Atkin, fashion director, Holt Renfrew, Canada
"It's a dress-up season: statement dresses for day or cocktail, the voluminous coat, lots of fur, feathers and knits. There's nothing basic about anything. Paris has come up with some beautiful couture techniques. We're seeing the return of the suit, in a new definition. Among the highlights were Nina Ricci, Balenciaga, Akris, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin and Stella McCartney."
Linda Dresner, owner, Linda Dresner, New York and Birmingham, Mich.
"It's been quite a good season. There are a million coats in Paris [that] are really wonderful. We're doing a lot of knits as coats, and we like the cape shapes. Balenciaga was a super show, and we loved his jackets and the colors. The dress remains important. We loved Junya Watanabe's mix of motorcycle jackets and sweet prints; Rick Owens' wonderful jackets and shearlings; Undercover's mix of coats and dresses; Dries Van Noten, always a very commercial and feminine collection.And we loved the John Galliano show, and I'm sure we're going to find really beautiful dresses there."
Hajime Takeda, general merchandising manager, Hankyu Department Stores Inc. "Highlights included Miu Miu; Dries Van Noten, especially its military influences and a patent leather coat; Lanvin, for its play of volume on the backs of coats and dresses, and Balenciaga, which presented an interesting balance between preppy and ethnic." Takeda said lengths were getting shorter and noted "interesting contrasts between voluminous tops and slim-fitting pants." Takeda said the Paris shows delivered a "futuristic" fashion message, but noted he would not increase his volume of orders due to the strength of the euro against the yen.
Daniella Lunardelli, communications officer, Daslu, Brazil
"Paris has been wonderful for us. Most of the fashion shows were amazing, but Chanel, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Valentino were by far our favorites. We're glad we have increased our budget for next season. We've seen very fancy trends, and Daslu is so into very high waists, patent leather and volumes."
Did WWD do one for New York, do you know?
The only collections in Paris I thought were directional were Hussein Chalayan and maybe Chloe. Prada in Milan also boldly stepped up to the challenge, not many others did. The rest were nice (Givenchy, Balenciaga, etc.), safe, boring, and worse, silly clothes.
