ANDREA CREWS - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW For her Fall 2012 collection, which also happens to be the 10th anniversary of her label, Andrea Crews focused on the idea of clothing worn for hunting and fishing, and gave it a touch of modern, French sophistication. Crews reimagined traditional outdoorsman garb, utilizing camouflage, quilted nylons,…
ARZU KAPROL - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Arzu Kaprol drew from the aesthetics of modernism and Bauhaus to craft his highly architectural Fall 2012 collection. Kaprol’s fall collection was a study in structure: formfitting leather dresses, military silhouettes amplified by silk and furs, and sheer panels paired with leather harnesses. The collection was sharp, angular,…
CHANEL - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW The Chanel Fall 2012 collection was presented in a room covered in crystals growing from the floor and ceiling, mimicking the crystal adornments that dripped off of every hem, high heel, and even eyebrow, sewn with crystals by famed couture embroidery house Lesage, that came down the runway. …
Born in Guadeloupe and taught in Paris, Clarisse Hieraix has a sophisticated understanding of haute couture that she is able to translate into her gowns and cocktail dresses season after season. Loose, flowing evening gowns in graphic prints that looked resort ready were mixed in with exceptionally tailored, monochromatic pantsuits, that were kept fresh by…
CORRADO DE BIASE - PARIS F/W 2012 BACKSTAGE Corrado de Biase’s third Ready-to-Wear collection mixed 20s modernism with 70s London style embodying Biase’s philosophy that, “fashion is an imaginary place for impossible meetings of people, styles and eras across time and space.” The collection consisted of classic British looks, given an update in fabric and proportion.…
CUNNINGTON & SANDERSON - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW After winning the On|Off Visionary Award, British design duo behind Cunnington & Sanderson, Matthew Cunnington and John Sanderson, presented their Fall 2012 collection for the first time in Paris. Cunnington & Sanderson use experimental folding, cutting, and draping as a means to sculpt dresses for a…
DÉVASTÉE - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Dévastée, the fashion label formed by Orphelie Klere and Francois Alary, created a dark, haunting, and humorous Fall 2012 collection. The duo describe their style as “mignon-macabre,” or cute-, and this collection was precisely that. Models with super pale faces had black lipstick smeared up the sides of their…
ELIE SAAB - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW The Fall 2012 “Urban Elegance” collection from Elie Saab attempts to encapsulate the modern incarnation of the Elie Saab city girl. The collection felt precise and tailored, with clean lines and nipped waists. Daywear included meticulously crafted peplum skirts and dresses, designed in both crêpe georgette shifts…
FATIMA LOPES - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Fatima Lopes, the first Portuguese fashion designer to show at Paris Fashion in 1999, kicked off the Ready-to-Wear collection for F/W 2012-13 with her sexy collection that accentuates the internal and external structure of the body. The small waists and narrow shoulders of the garments almost resembled a…
GUY LAROCHE - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Marcel Marongiu’s Fall 2012 collection for Guy Laroche was full of high shine, noir inspired looks that conveyed a minimalist luxury. Marongiu was inspired by picture of the construction of the Milanese Palazzo del Ghiaccio from 1923 as well as the barren architectural portraits of Aitor Ortiz. …
HEXA BY KUHO - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW The Fall 2012 collection of Hexa by Kuho, designed by Kuho Jung, is all about love in its duality; love has the power to cause both extreme happiness and disastrous sorrow. Jung was inspired by the embodiment of both these extremes in those famous star-crossed lovers,…
JAN TAMINIAU - PARIS F/W 2012 INTERVIEWED BY INDIRA CESARINE Dutch designer Jan Taminiau’s Haute Couture 2012 collection, Tarnished Beauty, mixes bold, warrior-like elements, with soft feminine construction. The collection was designed to, “elevate women,” showing delicate pleated chiffons, in aqua and light tangerine, over silver sequined slips that gave the illusion of body armor. …
The Fall 2012 collection, “I See ‘Em,” came about after a journey through the Scottish Highlands. The region, but particularly its sense of mysticism from Scotland’s legendary warriors to their mythological creatures, inspired Lespagnard’s designs. The looks use a number of tartan patterns, representing various clans, and Lespagnard even went so far as to create his…
JIKI - PARIS F/W 2012 BACKSTAGE Jiki, a label based out of Monaco, presented their Fall 2012 collection in Paris for the first time with new artistic director Mehdi Soussane. The collection marked a departure for the label guided by Soussane, who has worked for Lacroix, McQueen, Givenchy, and most recently at Ungaro. Soussane was inspired…
JOHN GALLIANO - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Bill Gaytten, in his second season at the helm of the John Galliano fashion house, offered up a subversive collection worthy of Galliano, himself. The super short hems, hourglass silhouettes, thigh-highs and transparency all suggested a Victorian woman come undone, but, in fact, the main inspiration came…
K11 - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION EVENT K11 is an organization that promotes young talents working in art and culture, giving them an opportunity to share their work on an international stage. Following last year’s success, K11 once again presented their “Paris, Bonjour!” show in Le Pavillon Vendome. This year’s theme, “Lightness of Being,” was inspired…
LIE SANG BONG - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW The Fall 2012 collection from Korean designer Lie Sang Bong stirred controversy as he sent models down the runway with carefully painted brown splotches covering the center of their faces. Bong, who counts Lady Gaga and Rhianna among his fans, stated that the collection was about…
LUTZ - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Lutz Huelle was inspired to design his Fall/Winter 2012/2013 collection while watching people cover themselves up in response to sudden unexpected rain showers. Huelle was interested in the way people threw clothes over their heads, and pulled collars closer together. He translated this into his collection’s silhouette, which he…
MANISH ARORA - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Indian fashion designer Manish Arora presented a Fall 2012 collection influenced by the “surreal and deconstructed iconography” of Brooklyn street artist Judith Supine. Arora created prints that melded fluid drawings of faces and bodies in neon prints, using them on his jackets, dresses, and skirts. Other looks…
MASHA MA - PARIS F/W 2012 FASHION SHOW Masha Ma has continually focused on the idea of unraveling the feminine form, and in her Fall 2012 collection this theme took new shape thanks to inspiration from Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale,The Nightingale and the Rose. The collection consisted largely of black and white floor-length evening gowns that…
