Paris Fashion Triumvirate: Christian Dior, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent
@ 1:08 am March 2, 2008Filed under: Paris, Runway Shows
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PARIS, Mar 2, 2008 / FW/ — Christian Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent are three names that define Paris, the fashion triumvirate that hold court at the City of Lights. Though some might disagree and add more names to this list, which will be for another time when we discuss Paris’ fashion oligarchy. Meanwhile, it is time to check what John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld and Stefano Pilati propose for Fall 2008.
Christian Dior
With ‘Cashmere Mafia’ star Lucy Liu sitting front row, John Galliano designing for Christian Dior sent out a 1960s inspired collection complete with big hair and pillboxes, but sans the hippies and flower power movement.
The tent dress, the A-line skirt, the double-breasted boxy suit jacket were proposed in bright shades of pink, red, orange and purple. And when black and white appeared, they are also on their optimistic shades or in different shades of gray as seen in plaid or graphic prints.
Though Jackie O was not present, the optimism of the American White House’s Camelot era was there. Thought he world will never return to the innocence of that decade, the change that it brought will always stay with us. And, perhaps that is what John Galliano want us to remember – the optimism of an era of change.
Chanel
Life might be a cabaret to Liza Minnelli, but to Karl Lagerfeld, fashion is a carousel, literally as he used the merry-go-round as the centerpiece of the Chanel runway show. Changing the traditional horses into giant-sized accessories for the models to sit down, it was a very strong fashion statement backed up by a very strong collection.
Based on a black and white color palette, with shades of gray in between, the show was reminiscent of a Chanel runway show during the 1990s. But instead of looking dated, it actually looked very modern as Karl Lagerfeld updated the silhouettes to be more streamlined.
Though the clothes took center stage, the real star of the show were the accessories, proving once again that in big fashion houses, accessories are big business and there are even times when clothes just become secondary.
Yves Saint Laurent
While John Galliano is back in the 1960s and Karl Lagerfeld is playing with the merry-go-round, Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent is exploring the future, Stepford Wives style as he sent models wearing the same black cropped wigs with black lipstick and sporting black sunglasses.
If I did not know any better, I would say that this one came straight out of a video game, except that the clothes are too well done for video game characters; that is, right proportions even with the ‘high water pants’ that was en vogue during the 1980s, courtesy of course by Mr. Saint Laurent himself, the founder of the house.
And though the collection is minimalist by YSL house codes standards, Stefano Pilati was very successful in moving the house forward to the future. Because, although the house’s founder Yves Saint Laurent himself will always be a great designer in the eyes of the whole world, there is also a time to move away from studying the archives and proposing new lines and new codes for the maison.
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it ws gr8 i really wan to become like u all,m also a fashion designer searching 4 job .