Fashion Files Magazine: Ready to Wear

Top 100 Looks from Paris Fashion Week, SS'12

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Published on Sunday, 09 October 2011 13:11

Written by Anna Marevska

It is very obvious that designers left the best for last. Paris Fashion Week closed the Spring 2012 RTW collections with a bang and delivered superb visions across the board. Pastels and white dominated the catwalks as all the heavy hitters -- from Chanel to Vuitton -- chose lightness and delicate forms for Spring. Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen also celebrated femininity and womanhood but chose the goddesses of the undersea, with superbly constructed clothes reminiscent of coral or shells. Valentino charmed with lace, girliness and seduction; Elie Saab chose vivid blues and greens; and Miu Miu had a much colder, slightly folksier collection than what Miuccia showed in Milan for Prada.

Karl Lagerfeld delivered masterfully for Chanel, again, with a presentation which gets grander and grander each season. Naturally, he chose The Grand Palais which was transformed into to a stunning white sea -- a complete 180-degree from the dark, volcanic show of Fall 2011. Corals, shells and sea horses adorned the decor and 80 or so outfits stunned the crowd.

But can we talk about Louis Vuitton? Please. Marc Jacobs proved once and for all (at least in our eyes) that he is worthy of inheriting the House of Dior. His Vuitton collection was nothing but a stunning, whimsical creation which satisfied even the most delicate of fashion senses. The carousel built in the Louvre's Cour Carrée was the prefect backdrop of the fragile yet strong clothes. Matte crocodile coats, broderie dresses in covered in pastel organza, lace tops and skirts sealed in in silk cellophane and more crocodile jackets. Love. 

Olivier Rousteing's big debut for Balmain was also outstanding, and even though he relied on beads and shapes previously explored by his predecessor Christophe Decarnin , the young designer's (he is only 25) big moment in front of the fashion elite was spectacular. And despite all the collapsing benches at Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquière did what he does best - show an innovative, modern collection, with shapes and forms only the Balenciaga woman can wear. 

The new darling of the Paris It crowd, Giambattista Valli,  was also nothing short of spectacular. Rich, decadent metallic brocade was dominant and Valli was quoted saying that he was trying to make clothes men would want to eat. Still, we are not convinced that he can top his spring 2012 couture collection. 

Of course, we must mention Kanye West. Yes, it's hard to put "Kanye West shows at Paris Fashion Week" in the same sentence but to much of our dismay it happened. His show was a disaster. To sum up, we'd like to quote New York Times' Cathy Horyn who tweeted,“Next season Kanye should get a tailor so clothes might fit. Models swimming in some looks. Kills the hot look, no?” Can someone explain to us why Anna Dello Russo was seen wearing Kanye West head-to-toe the very next day?  

If there was anything worse than West's attempt in high fashion, it was Mugler. Nicola Formichetti had Lady Gaga as his back bone, but even her celebity could not save his collection. Stratigic cutouts, asymmetric white top over glittery leggings, or a white jumpsuit with flashes of crystals underneath was simply bad taste. 

It's hard to believe that yet another fashion season cam to an end. See our picks for top 100 looks from each fashion capital - New York, London, Milan - as well as all the underwhelming fashions on our WTFashion pages.