Paris Fashion Week: Yamamoto plays with layers, volumes while Chloe goes no-fuss

PARIS — True to its codes of draping techniques, layering, and unfinished looks, Yohji Yamamoto’s autumn and winter collection displayed Friday in Paris showcased busy designs with lace skirts, shredded garments and inflated dresses.

The show opened with a succession of blue denim jackets over layers of fluid tunics and skirts.

Models strutted under the fresco ceiling of the French capital’s Hotel de Ville wearing mostly black but two head-to-toe white looks stood out with asymmetrical blazer, ruffled skirt with raw edge details and sneakers.

There were no accessories other than wire hats on grunge hairstyles.

There were passages of tucked skirts and warm jackets, puffer coats and draped shirts, followed up by models wearing to close the show a pile of knitted garments topped with umbrella hats made of wool. (View the show here: https://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/en/projects/yyfemme_aw2022/ )

CHLOE SHOWS OFF NO-FUSS WINTER STYLESFrench fashion house Chloe combined sleek lines and cozy fabrics in its new winter collection at Paris Fashion Week on Thursday, with knitted dresses, leather midi skirts and teddy bear coats. (See the show here: https://www.chloe.com/ph)

Model Amber Valletta, wearing minimal makeup, strolled down a sand-covered catwalk in a long patchwork coat at the close of show, showcasing the design house’s understated approach.

Black, ecru, and variations of orange tones dominated most of the looks for the Richemont-owned CFR.S French label, founded by Gaby Aghion and celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

Models wore thick ponchos with a bohemian touch and long knitted outfits, some sporting wilderness patterns and pantsuits suitable for everyday wear.

Leather was dominant, worked into balloon sleeve dresses, trousers paired with tank tops, belted coats and cowboy boots.

SILKY EVENING GOWNS FROM YSLFrench fashion house Yves Saint Laurent hosted an evening catwalk presentation at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, showcasing a series of slender cocktail gowns from a catwalk overlooking the base of the Eiffel Tower. (Watch the show here: https://www.ysl.com/en-en/displayname-collections-ws22-fashion-show)

Long-legged models strode across a pale pink carpet in long, sleek dresses, some wispy at the bottom, and wrapped in sharp-shouldered tuxedos and oversize faux-fur coats, as electronic music by French DJ Sebastian played.

In his show notes, creative director Anthony Vaccarello cited the style of 20th century anti-fascist poet Nancy Cunard, known to favor chunky jewelry and masculine silhouettes.

Echoing her look, some outfits were accessorized with stacks of large bracelets or prominent earrings while long coats and low-waisted jackets were worn with the collars turned up.

Soft fabric flowers pinned to dresses and jackets added a touch of romance to the somber color palette of mostly black with touches of ivory and light brown.

The Kering-owned label closed the second day of shows at Paris Fashion Week, which runs through March 8 and caps a month of fashion events in New York, London and Milan.

DIOR TAKES A SURVIVAL THRUSTDior cast fashion as a means of survival, kicking Paris Fashion Week into full swing last Tuesday with a lineup of house classics, reworked — and rewired — with a technical bent. (See the show athttps://www.dior.com/en_int/womens-fashion/ready-to-wear-shows/autumn-winter-2022-2023-ready-to-wear-show )

Models took to a runway set in the French capital’s Tuileries Gardens, parading a collection of polished, feminine looks infused with workwear references, pairing sheer dresses with motorbike jackets and gloves, adding utility pockets to long skirts, and tossing airbags and stylized bullet-proof vests over shoulders.

The LVMH-owned label was the first major brand to show at Paris Fashion Week.

“I think that to explore this kind of territory helps us to understand the real value of fashion,” Maria Grazia Chiuri, womenswear designer for the LVMH-owned label, said in an interview.

“Sometimes we think of fashion only with an idea of an embellishment of our body, not something where our body lives,” she added.

The designer worked with D-Air Lab, an Italian company that makes safety gear with airbags designed for workers that fix wind turbines, and protective clothing for Artic exploration — linked to the label Dainese, of Seventies-era motorcycle suit fame.

The opening look, a catsuit wired with luminescent tubing, came out before the lights went up, setting the stage for those that followed, blending high-tech nylon with cashmere, sheer mesh, cinched bar jackets outfitted with heating systems, corsets and biker shorts, accessorized with futuristic goggles and sparkling head bands, that sat atop tightly-woven braids, tucked closely around the head. — Reuters