BEST OF PARIS F/W 2013


Another fashion month came to a close last Wednesday with what was widely praised as one of the strongest Paris Fashion Weeks in years. There were, indeed, remarkably assured collections from all corners, demonstrating the wide range of visions that allow the French capital to maintain its dominance, as shown by The Last Magazine fashion director Alastair McKimm’s ten favorite looks. The biggest arrival was undeniably Alexander Wang’s at Balenciaga, where he managed to push the house forward in a new direction by combining his street-smart, urban sensibility with the couture shapes and traditions favored by the long-gone master himself. There was an haute feel to the ten looks over at Alexander McQueen as well, with Sarah Burton overseeing a tightly-edited show of gloriously ornate, decorative, and labor-intensive pieces even while on maternity leave. Intense effort, to a very different end, was obvious in Rei Kawakubo’s work at Comme des Garçons too, with the clothes themselves intricately worked into bursting shapes that revealed a talent for advanced geometry. Stella McCartney, on the other hand, went for a stripped-down æsthetic, working off a foundation of masculine pinstripes for a collection that perfectly encapsulated the menswear influence she favors. Miuccia Prada’s vision for Miu Miu had a gamine feeling as well, with kerchiefs knotted around the neck and coats that were alternately mannish or hourglass-shaped. Meanwhile, Phoebe Philo continued her investigation of what might be thought of as the new minimalism at Céline with a sharp and desirable collection of clean shapes and soft fabrics. Haider Ackermann worked a luxurious gentleness into his show as well, a highly successful experiment with fur that showed a promising new side for him. Marc Jacobs put romance in the air at Louis Vuitton, with clothes that had the sexily déshabillé feel of undergarments without the tawdriness that often accompanies them. Rick Owens demonstrated a newfound levity in his pieces too, edging away from the bleakness of past showings with dresses and coats that were feminine without coming off as fragile. And at Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci offered up a greatest hits collection of sorts, reworking some of the touchstones of his previous seasons and serving to remind us all why, year in and year out, Paris is always the one to beat.

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