Subdued Paris Fashion Week goes on
Hermes headlined Saturday’s installment of Paris Fashion Week with a cinematic, surrealist runway staging, but the lack of celebrities attending and the patchy drizzle put a slight damper on the usually high-octane events.
Like Milan before it, Paris is undertaking an unusual fashion season for Spring-Summer 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The nine-day calendar is flitting between 16 readyto-wear runway collections with masked guests in seated rows, 20 in-person presentations and several dozen completely digital shows streamed online with promotional videos.
Prints of Greco-Roman goddess sculptures adorned columns marking out Hermes’ labyrinthine show, while mirrors around the set reflected parts of their marble limbs. The creative presentation referenced surrealists Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau, evoking a sense of magic, mystery and depth.
Depth was indeed the key theme for minimalist designer Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, but the magic and mystery were sometimes missing in the clothes. Shimmering metallic mesh came as an outer layer on pared-down undergarments in dark and muted hues.
It was, on the whole, a lowenergy collection. Still, individual garments were high in sophistication, especially those with layered paneling. One coat in old rose had a rolled-up collar that riffed on aviation attire.
Also Saturday, Paris-born designer Joseph Altuzarra featured tailoring, ruching, draping and layering in his refined-looking fare. A Chinese white tunic-gown that was loose and opennecked had an angelic quality. Delicacy was in evidence in the minimalist black cord that tied the garment’s waist.
A gathered gown in camouflage green had sweeping panels of gathered fabric at the skirt that evoked a goddess in the wind. It was, the house said following the show, inspired by the windswept sci-fi movie “Dune.”
Altuzarra has shown versatility in his over 10 years of collections that have switched from the bright and joyful, to more refined and couture-infused, designs. On Saturday, it was a mixture of both.