Paris Fashion Week: Animal rights activists, biker boots, and faux fur

PARIS — Animal rights activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) disrupted Victoria Beckham’s runway show at Paris Fashion Week on Friday.

The activists entered the runway as the models were walking down it, holding up placards that read “Viva Vegan Leather” and wearing T-shirts with the message “Turn your back on animal skins,” and “Animals aren’t fabric,” before being escorted away by security.

As Ms. Beckham greeted the audience at the end of the show, another activist managed to slip onto the runway bearing the same placard.

Ms. Beckham, who was walking with crutches due to a reported gym injury, showcased a collection of sheer dresses and boxy coats for fall/winter.

The former Spice Girl, who made her Paris Fashion Week debut in 2022, sent down edgy looks such as a backless blazer and an exaggerated sweetheart neckline on a mini dress. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/bdhcctt2 )

Chiffon and silk dresses came softly draped, while tassels flowed from a black bustier pantsuit.

The show was held at the 19th century Salomon de Rothschild Hotel, near the Champs Elysees.

Ms. Beckham’s husband David Beckham, and their children Cruz, Brooklyn and Harper, were on the front row.

HERMESHermes designer Nadege Vanhee added country and western flair to her fall/winter collection, sending biker boots and studded leather jackets down a catwalk lined with curtains of rain.

Models marched past the falling droplets parading the sleek lineup of leather ensembles that included flat, high-waisted trousers, flared in a boot-cut and worn with sharp-toed ankle boots — cowboy style. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/4ha53aw8 )

Slit pencil skirts paired with trim bomber jackets looked youthful while cinched trench coats carried a more traditional flavor.

Show notes referred to “braving the elements,” and cited resilient leathers, robust twills and supple cashmere.

OFF-WHITEOff-White sent a playful, culture-blending lineup of fall/winter fashion down the catwalk on Thursday, showing styles decorated with colorful faux fur lining, beaded fringes and utility straps. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/3dpsfz6u )

Models marched down the runway in cinched coats with furry, lime-green collars, rugby shirts embedded with crystals, and slender dresses that resembled basketball jerseys.

Art and image director Ibrahim Kamara said the spark of the collection came from Japan, where he was struck by “the magic and grace of local traditions and the big influence Americana has had on the country’s culture,” according to show notes.

Mr. Kamara, who was appointed to head the brand’s creative direction following the death of founder Virgil Abloh, said the collection — which he entitled “Black by popular demand” — was his “most personal endeavor for the house that Virgil built.”

ACNE STUDIOSFor his fall/winter runway presentation, Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson showed slick, all leather looks and long, tailored jackets on Wednesday at Paris Fashion Week. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/3fmp5kj7 )

The collection was “rooted in toughness and human form, leather and denim,” said the show notes, affixed to each seat.

“A celebration of uncompromising femininity.”

Leather bodysuits had high necks and voluminous sleeves and were left unzipped in the back, while floor-sweeping trench coats were tightly fitted.

Softening the lineup were all-white looks, including a long gown with buttons running down to the navel as well as an earth-colored dress worn with a thick, furry scarf.

DRIES VAN NOTENDries Van Noten, who showed earlier on Wednesday, also featured thick scarves in his catwalk show, including one with sparkles that framed the model’s head like a pillow. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/yfhz4att)

The Puig-owned label’s lineup came in pastels, grey, and light browns, and included coats and bomber jackets with rounded shoulders, as well as tailored suits embellished with shimmery beadwork.

“It’s the way that he drapes, it’s the way that he styles, it’s the way that he designs these clothes — there’s always a woman in mind,” said fashion commentator Hanan Besovic, known for his Instagram account @ideservecouture.

French-Moroccan creative director Charaf Tajer also held a runway show on Wednesday, for his label Casablanca’s collection called “Venus as a Boy.” (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/mrx23x46 )

Held in the historic Paris Bouglione circus house, models walked the circular runway showcasing sporty tracksuits, cheerleader skirts and sheer, fitted skirts with slits.

SAINT LAURENTSaint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello trimmed down the label’s silhouettes for winter, tightly wrapping models in sheer silk dresses in muted colors for a runway show on Tuesday. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/yxrdsppa )

Models cut through the center of the set — two vast, circular rooms lined with green curtains — in towering sling-back heels, their transparent layers revealing high waisted underwear, cut sharply, lengthening the thighs, and accented with slim belts.

There were sleeveless tops that wound up around the neck, pussy bow blouses and bustiers, while skirts remained the same length — cut just below the knees.

“The length is classic, but the content is novel,” said the show notes, tucked in envelopes left on each seat. They also cited the famous “naked” gown worn by Marilyn Monroe, as a reference for the designer.

Adding contrast to the fitted looks were furry coats made of ultralight feathers, forming bulkier silhouettes.

The collection was “bursting with juxtaposition,” said Simon Longland, director of buying at the London department store Harrods, noting “ladylike and conservative” styling delivered, however, a “slinky” allure.

DIOR’S READY-TO-WEARFor her fall-winter collection, Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri turned to the roots of the upscale fashion label’s ready-to-wear line, drawing on the spirit of the late ’60s with feminine, tailored looks sent down the runway on Tuesday. (See the show here: https://tinyurl.com/2cm9rhcy)

Models marched around a room lined with thick bamboo canes, parading neatly belted trench coats, flared miniskirts, long mesh dresses sparkling with beadwork and trim jackets. Handbags came in all shapes and sizes, as did the shoes, which included tall riding boots, scrunched at the top.

The challenge for Dior, when its late designer Marc Bohan branched out from intricately crafted haute couture styles into ready-to-wear designs, was to create a new silhouette, easier for women to slip on as they ventured into the work force, Ms. Chiuri told Reuters before the show.

“I think that Mr. Bohan understood very well this new generation,” said Ms. Chiuri.

“At the time it was very unusual for a couture house to move into new territory,” she added, also noting Bohan’s foray into homewear designed by Italian artist Gabriella Crespi.

Graphics from the era, introducing the new line dubbed “Miss Dior,” appeared on the clothing as starkly outlined paintstrokes on khaki-colored coats and split skirts.

Dominating the center of the space were elaborate armor-like sculptures made of cane, works by Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni evoking rounded, female shapes, their rigidity contrasting with the slightly loosened, polished looks shown on the catwalk.

Paris Fashion Week runs until March 5. — Reuters