THE MOST sought after invitation in Paris yesterday was to the Celine show held in the Tennis Club of Paris on the outskirts of the city.
Phoebe Philo, the UK designer, showed her mettle with a powerful second collection for the French brand that was crisp, streamlined and womanly.
Her collection had everything for a modern urbanite from lean, collarless or sleeveless coats in khaki or aubergine with dresses that were equally sleek and simple.
Even a cable-knit hooded tunic with a white blouse, three-quarter length trousers and blocky heels looked clean and cool.
The finger was on the pulse for evening wear too, where a black dress with sheer insets and black crystal appliqué said it all.
There were angry anti-fur protests outside Jean Paul Gaultier’s headquarters on Saturday when Jane Birkin, dressed in jeans, arrived for the show.
France’s enfant terrible, targeted for his use of fur was not, however, the only one sending it out on the catwalks this season.
His collection remixed traditional ethnic dress from all over the world with contemporary streetwear, from north African djellabas reworked in black velvet to the flouncy embroideries of eastern Europe and beyond.
Accompanied by a gypsy orchestra, models in ornate headdresses touted Chinese shawls edged with fox fur, hoodies decorated with Indian mirror embroideries and peasant skirts with military jackets. It was a colourful melange celebrating the fast disappearing craftsmanship of tribal handwork.
Junya Watanabe’s collection, staged in the Paris Bourse against a soundtrack of African soul, drew on military tailoring and fatigues in a new and beguiling way.
Shapely proportions and longer lengths had grace and elegance demonstrated in the cut of a khaki trench coat or jacket where horizontal or vertical topstitching created either sculpted or flared effects. Despite the familiar army references like parkas and camouflage prints, the collection was anything but aggressive, with real femininity showing in a winning combination of a black greatcoat flaring over a full skirt and pleated trousers.
Coming out of the Comme des Garcons show, I overheard a father say to his small daughter, “That was a very weird show, but she is a very famous Japanese designer”. Rei Kawakubo’s swollen inflated shapes with padded appliqued protuberances seemed to question conventional notions of enhancement in dress; it was about distortion rather than proportion. Shrouded under heavy shoulders in their Michelin Men ensembles, the models looked fragile and otherworldly, their white faces covered in black bandages.
If it all seemed to question notions of the entrapment of modern fashion, that’s the stuff of academic debate; buyers were not excited. In a slew of shows at the weekend, it was game, set and match to other players.