Paris Can-Can
A few minutes into the Louis Vuitton show this afternoon, I glanced over my shoulder at the people standing outside the clear plastic tent in the Cour Carree of the Louvre, and wondered what they must be thinking. Marc Jacobs was serving up a lot of delicious French cake, in the Marie Antoinette sense. The thinking behind the collection was light-hearted, it seemed to me. All those black taffeta rabbit ears, the marvelous stick pins tipped with fat pearls, the messy bouffants, the over-the-top boots laced with black velvet ribbon…He was pouring on the French chic but, at the same time, not taking it too seriously. I was also glad to see Jacobs stick with the Paris theme from last season and push it in other directions. Of course, a lot of this ruched and ruffled glamour seems a parody of French high style, which was always over-the-top and not a little vulgar. But Jacobs played with that, too.
Though the last couple of days have seemed an eternity, with everyone dragging toward the finish line, there’s no getting around the fact that the Paris shows served up a lot of good fashion. We may not see another season like this in awhile. Balenciaga, Lanvin, Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe, McQueen, Galliano last night with the folk costumes and the toxic snow, Rochas, Louis. I thought the opening and closing looks at Miu Miu tonight were really interesting; I’m not sure the clothes that involved deconstructed lapels and fur bits over bras were all that successful. But I liked how Miuccia Prada did the sleeveless wool coat dresses, so that they sort of draped in a relaxed way in the front and tied on the hip. Also: the lanky, boxy fit of some of the coats.
Azzedine Alaia gave a small presentation this afternoon in his studio/showroom, mainly for buyers. Part of his genius is that he sticks with a project. The development of one technique leads him to the next idea. How long has he been doing knit dresses with ruffled, flaring skirts? Now the skirts seem puffed with little pockets of air, creating a shape like a cocoon. Rows of cocoons, actually. He showed some wonderful boleros in wool and leather that seem to adhere to the body, and close asymmetrically across the collarbone. I remember when he first started making leather kilts. This was about 10 years ago. Since then he’s done them with a complicated series of cutouts and notches. This time, the surface of gathered leather skirts looks feathery, from delicately fringed leather or suede bands. He also showed some beautiful velvet dresses with minimal tops held at a few points, leaving the back mostly exposed.
It’s late here in Paris. My room is a mess. The flowers that people sent are faded and dying. I’m going to pour myself a glass of wine and leave you with a final thought. What makes a particular fashion attractive? Now there’s a question for this crazy-chic season: Is it Louis Vuitton and Lanvin and Balenciaga with their feminine flourishes? Or is it Alaia and Comme des Garcons and Prada (to mention the most obvious) with their masculine elements?Christian Dior bags