Paris Fashion Week round-up

Gosh! London Fashion Week seems like eons ago, but for the (un)fortunate editors still on their Fashion Week rounds, Paris is buzzing with the clackety-clack of stilettos and ooh-and-aahs of the spectators.

Miss Magpie has turned her back on all things fashion for a few days (well not all things obviously) in order to try on wedding dresses. Could there be anything more fun?! Anyway, you'll have to wait until next summer to hear all about that.... Aren't I mean.

Anyway, back to Paris... Here's a wee round up of the goings on over the Channel.

Balenciaga

Hmmm...I'm not sure about this. Nicolas Ghesquière opted for a very androgynous look. When we've seen so much femininity and pretty hitting the catwalks, this is quite hard to digest. The collection has a slight punk-rock feel about it, with the flat shoes, un-summery dark palette and masculine tailoring. I'm not a fan, but that doesn't mean others won't be.

See what I mean!

Balmain

I'm a huge Balmain fan (the styles, not the price tags) but I'm kinda getting that feeling of deja-vu. Christophe Decarnin has a particular style and has run with it for several seasons to huge acclaim, but I'm beginning to think that he might be a one-trick pony. Yes, the leather jackets are divine. Yes, he single-handedly brought about the revival of the shoulder pad. Yes, every woman lusts after a piece of Balmain. But how much longer are we (well, not we, I mean women with plenty of cash) going to fork out tens of thousands for a variety of same-but-not-the-same leather jackets?

Having said that, I am, once again, a fan of the collection...

That's $20,000 of safety pins that is!

Celine

Pheobe Philo is the queen of minimalism. Again. This time however, she's loosened up a bit - e.g. trousers were long and loose. There was also some leather and denim thrown in to the mix - these fabrics seem to be BIG all round.

I'm perhaps not a Celine girl, though I appreciate the huge influence the label has on the fashion world. I'm sure this collection will continue the trend.

Minimalist chic or just drowning?

Love the clean lines and mix-up of fabrics in this look.

Christian Dior

John Galliano must be taking a sabatical! This collection is so tame for the normally extra-extravagant brand, that I'm not sure I would have recognised it on the street. There is however I nice blending of girly dresses with boyish jackets thrown over the top (not that we haven't seen that before). Loving the slouch socks though.

Finally a handbag that'll fit in all my stuff! Hoorah.

Denim rocks the catwalk again.

 
Givenchy

Ooh - Summer's going to have us all getting in touch with our inner goths. Well, atleast that seems to be the aim of Riccardo Tisci. Goths on safari I think is the exact look. There's all the darkness and drama we've come to love of Givenchy, but with an added dose of glamour from all the leopard print.

Summer in the UK sucks anyway, so I'm sold on the black!

Gorge dress, shame about the model. Weird.

Jean Paul Gaultier

If John Galliano is taking a sabatical, then JPG is having a moment of craziness. His collection included jackets with squared-off shoulders, showgirl lingerie, jumpsuits, sailor stripes, palm-prints, leather jackets and even a metal breastplate. All slightly random and OTT, but amongst that plethora of different styles were some quite nice looks.

Speaking of random - Beth Ditto opened the show. Eh?

Not loving the hair so much, I have to say.

Here's a big of JPG we all know and live. And I do love.

Lanvin

If you want pretty, you turn to Alber Elbaz at Lanvin. He is the absolute master of figure-flattering, wow-factor dresses. Having recently added Lanvin to my wardrobe (remember my Hong Kong trip?) I can say with certainty, that nothing makes you feel better! This collection had a lot more day appropriate dresses, that really didn't do much for me. The more typical Lanvin dresses were what really caught my eye...

Floaty and fab.

In love. Totally, utterly, completely.

Zac Posen

A Zac lady does not shy away from the limelight. Feathers, lace and fur all made an appearance in a collection that was just divine - something we've come to expect of Mr Posen. I'd wear any of these dresses and I'm pretty sure that every one of us would be able to find something amazing.

Zac Posen has that rare gift of making the female body look like perfection.

In the boudoir as it is, or with a little slip for going out.

That'll do for now. That's more than enough food-for-thought for a Monday. More to come...