written by Fannie Wang
docente : Dabilo Venturi

The Summer Spring 2012 Paris Fashion week had a joyful and festive atmosphere overall, with quite a few bridal-inspired dresses that were featured in the ending piece of several designers’ shows. The main trend that stood out this year is an abundance of colors expressed with tropical and tribal floral prints. Designs made with sheer materials in white, and see-through dresses for both day and evening wear also made a significant impression. Finally, unlike in the past where red carpet gowns often took center stage, there was less emphasis on such clothing this year but more focus on daywear and business apparels.

Dries Van Noten and the artisan designers continued to experiment with fabrics while remained committed to designing innovative but wearable clothing. For the show, Van Noten collaborated with an English photographer, James Reeve, to use pictures that are both nostalgic and contemporary, drawing from diverse cultures and styles that offered a Spanish flamenco taste. There are night and day scenes from garden views, jungle scenes, and shots of Las Vegas nightlife, all of which presented a perfect contrast. On the other hand, Issey Miyake, the fashion house that is well known for its craftsmanship, played a little bit safe this year, with the show taking again the direction of imagination and technology through the use of lighting and special effects. New designer Yoshiyuki Miyamaeis debut collection included sheer jackets, floral prints, tribal and tropical pattern leggings, and the house’s iconic plead skirts, which all touched the key trends, but ultimately fell short due to a lack of a central theme. The one notable element that was presented in the show was the amazing futuristic hairstyle and the creative use of colors in the make-up.

Another Japanese artisan designer, Yohji Yamamoto brought a romantic atmosphere to the show, starting with a purple draped dress followed by many French Revolution inspired pieces that carried a lot of volume, along with several pieces that are more masculine in the famous Yamamoto black. The tailoring of the clothing, as usual, looked unfinished with many asymmetrical cuts. Models wore violet lip shade and a very Eastern hairstyle, showing a combination of both East and West elements in the same collection. The overall mood of the show was very joyful and festive, concluded with a mini bridal show that garnered much positive feedback from the audience.

Despite the immense popularity of artisan designers, the shows that really attracted the most media attentions were probably those created by celebrity designers. Karl Lagerfeld stunned the audience not only with his collection, but also impressed with the spectacular underwater theme of the show in the Grand Palais, completed with decorations of seashells, corals and sea horse. Lagerfeld incorporated pearls into his collection, which again demonstrated the consistent elegance of Chanel. His goal this year was clearly to create something that could be recognized as the new and true design of the Chanel house, but would also differentiate from the usual Chanel look that has been widely imitated. The pearls used in the pieces were no doubt the best selection, since pearls are one of the Chanel’s identifiers. Coupled with the use of tweeds and feathered materials, it seemed that Chanel is opting for fewer formal dresses but more casual and sporty styles, which historically were the roots of the house.

The theme of sportswear versus formal wear can be also seen in Alber Elbaz’s collection for Lanvin. The concept reflects the styles of the 80s, with padded shoulders and a strong emphasis on the female hemline. The collection had a darker tone and few bright colors. Pencil skirts and tracksuits seemed more suited for businesswomen rather than the evening wear that Lanvin usually made. However, although the new collection was inspired by sportswear, there were also elements like the snake prints with sheer and draping that reflected the original elegance and seductive qualities of Lanvin. Another celebrity designer, Marc Jacobs, opened the show for Louis Vuitton with models sitting on top of a carousel with Kate Moss as the last on the runway. However, the show seemed much more inspiring than the collection itself, which was very feminine, with short evening dresses featuring a plethora of lace and daisy motifs. Embroideries were featured prominently as another element in the collection characterized by its pastel colors. Overall, the mood was quite joyful and sweet for both the dresses and the presentation.

In addition to the aforementioned celebrities designers, the Dior show was definitely something that everyone was looking forward to, with all the rumors around who was going to be the next designer for Dior. After being criticized for the couture line earlier, Bill Gaytten played a much more subtle role in this year’s ready-to-wear collection, which seemed conservative and went back to the roots of the original Christian Dior with some added elements of modernity. From cocktail to evening, the pieces were very feminine and dressy, bringing back the classic elegance of the Dior women.

Similarly to Dior, Valentino had few surprises in the collection that aimed to show the maximum femininity possible. The models wore French hair braid with draping earrings to pair with abundance of lace in floral dresses. Unlike other shows that had more masculine trend with pieces like wide trouser and oversized blazer, Valentino chose to keep its feminine root this season. However, it was obvious that both Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri were also trying to inject more casual elements into their dresses by using sandals in an effort for the style to be more suitable for everyday wear. Still, with the use of laces, silk and sheer, the collection would likely to be used for everyday wear only by celebrities.

Along the same theme, Viktor and Rolf’s collection this year was very feminine with baby doll-like qualities. The duo singers opened the show, and with good balance of art and fashion, they were able to present clothing as artwork while maintaining high wearability. The final few pieces of the collection, including gowns in special cuts with candy colors of pink, blue, and white, were very cute and closed the show on a sweet note.

In contrast to the shows that featured traditional feministic styles, futuristic collections made quite a few statements this year. Gareth Pugh amazed again with his newest collection, using stripes in black and white cage-like pieces with matching boots. The sci-fi fantasy and the sculpture theme reflected Pugh’s true spirit well. As the show progressed, more wearable collections were introduced that were relatively more commercial ready, which was something that’s not very common from Pugh. The collection from Mugler, another futuristic brand, also had a sci-fi theme, and featured many asymmetric cuts and cutouts. However, with Lady Gaga headlining the opening scene of the show, the pieces seemed to have more association with the pop star rather than focusing on the theme of sexuality that the brand was about. In addition, the cuts were leaning towards the predictable side.

Futurists and avant-garde seemed to be growing among designers. Emerging designer Steffie Christiaens’ show for this season used three-dimensional silhouettes to present her futuristic approach. However the wedges, the miniskirts and the cuts of some dresses, along with the make-up, were also reminiscent of futuristic elements in the past and one couldn’t help but have a feeling of déjà vu. This raised a curious question of whether the style we considered avant-garde today would become the new mainstream. Since the major luxury brands like Chanel and Valentino are moving toward more casual trends targeting a broader audience, will the new avant-garde designers collections become the new red carpet gown for celebrities? These would be interesting developments to observe in the future, and one may look back upon the joyful and festive Summer Spring 2012 Paris Fashion week for clues as to when it all happened.