FIGHT, FIGHT! It's a cut throat business this modelling lark. Bette Franke and Josefien Rodermans are snapped by Sean Cunningham slugging it out backstage at Alexander Wang.
Photography by Sean Cunningham. Courtesy of Showmoda.com
Not even Tanya D could quieten the buzz backstage as one of Paris' most anticipated shows was about to begin. On the 10th anniversary of Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, she waits wrapped up in red fur and the seductive over the elbow gloves playing up to photographer Sean Cunningham's camera. Looking like a film noir femme fatale she gives a glimpse Elbaz's figure hugging, curve enhancing collection.
Photography by Sean Cunningham. Courtesy of Showmoda.com
Yves Saint Laurent
For his final collection at the helm of the YSL empire, Stefano Pilati explored the darker side of fashion, as models came down the runway with slicked-back hair, dark lips and super sharp cuts in austere black. Pilati played with a hyper-sexy femme fatale fused with a dash of fetish and lashings of leather. That's the way to end an era.
Miu Miu
Suit up! Miuccia Prada is always quite pragmatic with a touch of playfulness, and this collection is undeniably going to make more than one working woman happy as she put the emphasis on suits for next autumn/winter. Worn together or separately, we love the modern and feminine feel to these tailored garments, without disregarding of course the embellished shirts. Getting dressed up in the morning will certainly be a piece of cake.
Louis Vuitton
Embark on the Vuitton Express and travel through time on a journey through the golden age. Stepping off a giant steam train, models walked down the runway accompanied by porters carrying Louis Vuitton's iconic leather goods. The strongest pieces of the collection were these embroidered ensembles with Stephen Jone's squashed millinery. One thing is sure, Marc Jacobs knows how to put on a show!
Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton's extavangazza at Alexander McQueen keeps getting bigger, quite literally this season. An explosion of feathers and ruffles was teamed with futuristic slicked back platinum hair and metallic eye masks. The collection was certainly for the most fearless creatures out there.
Chloé
Clare Waight Keller's brought some groove back to the French brand. It's only her second collection but we are already sold and this nude coloured coat makes the dark skies of next autumn/winter much more appealing.
Kenzo
Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have been a very busy pair this season turning out no less that 50 looks for autumn/winter. The collection (staged across three levels that saw models climb escalators to show off the pieces) played with the idea of interiors. Marble floors inspired a print and grapes made for a stand out pattern across a suit. Since Leon and Lim jarrived at Kenzo last year, the brand has become one of the hottest tickets in Paris.
Hermès
Christophe Lemaire keet the essence of the equestrian woman in this collection but took her to new foreign lands - she is the Hermès luxury traveller after all. He started with poncho knits slung over baggy leather trousers and slouchy boots in black but as the show went on, it beautifully transitioned into a more feminine and ethnic colelction of detailed prints.
Akris
These curved booties at Akris caught our attention on the runway. They're a feat of engineering that echos the clean silhouettes of the collection.
Givenchy
Ricardo Tisci continues to deliver this season after much furore surrounding his prints and pre-autumn/winter boots. This time he explored a rather unusual theme: equestrian lady meets goth. The result was collection of babydoll dresses with black lace details and over the elbow gloves, razor sharp cuts to jackets and blazers, knee-high boots and leather in abundunce.
Lanvin
Alber Elbaz's marked his 10th year as head of the Lanvin house and with the celebrations came a collection that showed off just why Elbaz sits at the top of the fashion tree, doing what he does best - flattering a woman's figure. Body hugging shapes curved round the models figures, skirts kicked out from tiny waists whist jackets cut perfectly around hips and coats were tightly belted. The party got started as the gold brocade selections arrived and models draping coloured furs and gems strutted down the catwalk. And of course as Elbaz himself took to singing to the audience.
Maison Martin Margiela
Maison Martin Margiela's iconic clean lines took a new direction into very deconstructed garments this season. We fell in love with this grey/purple asymetric dress as seen on model Alla Kostromichova.
Dior
Bill Gaytten flirted with a rather soft and contemporary collection that was loyal to the Lady Dior image. Inspired by the ballet, chiffon peeked beneath hems while other dresses made a more obvious statement with layers of tulle. But like the black swan, there was a toughness to counter balance the sweetness too. Necklines were twisted in leather, a leather panel streaked down a plum dress and black leather was added to the front of a nipped in jacket.
Neil Barrett
With a play on texture and volumes, Neil Barrett's has us under his spell. Tailoring, a signature of Barrett's was near perfect as shapes were supersized and yet still flattering. These dynamic shapes should be seen on the backs of the fash pack come next winter.
Sacai
Designer Chitose Abe knows how to make clothes that women will want to wear. We loved the tough feminine vibe of these looks with accents of lace peeking out of bottom of skirts paired with sharp tailoring and stiff collars.
