Fall Accessories Highlights From Paris Fashion Week
Statement boots and '60s vibes in footwear, a heightened focus on craftsmanship and sculptural details in bags were some key takeaways from the scene on and off the runway.
PARIS — “Wearable doesn't have to be boring,” Dries Van Noten told WWD during a preview of his fall 2024 collection, dismissing in a Belgian stroke the conservative minimalist moment that's dominated fashion for a while.
With one of the standout shows of Paris Fashion Week, Van Noten expressed a sentiment that resonated with many fellow designers, who in their own ways looked to elevate and turn the ordinary into the extraordinary via a heightened focus on craftsmanship and eccentric outbursts, pushing a way of dressing that could be approachable but still eclectic and fun.
Jonathan Anderson's latest collection for Loewe fell into that category, too, including in the accessories of boots, pumps and the brand's Squeeze leather bag all densely beaded with florals or vegetable motifs. Cue the couture asparagus bag that won Instagram over and instantly created a new, unexpected desire among fashion followers.
Elsewhere, bags came in maxi proportions that targeted everyday use, such as the office-ready styles at Victoria Beckham or the capacious ones at Acne Studios, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. Chemena Kamali's winning debut at Chloé also had gargantuan hobo styles to match the ‘70s vibe of her collection, while Van Noten opted for similar proportions but in furry textures to add an unpredictable twist to his looks.
Yet a new frontier of craftsmanship was set by Coperni, where this season the signature Swipe bag was developed by Prof. Ioannis Michaloudis using a nanomaterial called silica aerogel, which has been used by NASA to capture stardust. The material resulted in a
33-gram design made from 99 percent air and 1 percent glass.
In shoe land, boots ran the gamut from flashy, over-the-knee styles to flat combat and biker alternatives favored by fashion designers to ground their collections in both comfort and a tough attitude.
The former category ranged from Rick Owens‘ charming take on apocalyptic otherworldly fashion with sculptural, Toblerone-like boots to the impressive thigh-high ones Chitose Abe created to anchor the Sacai fall 2024 collection. These were deceptively disguised as sartorial pants and tuxedo trouser legs that stood on their own.
In keeping with the turbulent global environment, some designers offered alternatives aimed to empower women with a dash of anarchy and a rebellious undercurrent. Take Pierpaolo Piccioli's allblack collection at Valentino: “It's the color of these times,” said the Italian designer, who paraded feminine black looks with matching chunky biker boots. At Hermès, creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski opted for an uber-elegant (and currently omnipresent) oxblood shade for a collection inspired by riding — both horses and motorbikes — that came with new must-have equestrian boots that unzipped to transform into looser biker styles.
“This collection is about my present state of mind. I have anger against everything in the world, especially against myself,” said Rei Kawakubo about her Comme des Garçons lineup. Mostly all black, looks came with matching derby styles developed in collaboration with
Paris-based footwear brand Phileo that had oversize soles, which amplified models' walks — and occasional angry stomps.
A vibrant energy resonated in a more playful way in reinterpretations of
‘60s styles. Part of the overarching ladylike trend that dominated London and Milan fashion weeks, the vibe shifted toward a more graphic and groovier direction in Paris — with footwear switching from pointy toes and kitten heels to squared shapes and chunkier low heels, as well as mary janes and geometric ankle boots. The Dior fall 2024 collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri offered plenty of appealing solutions. These added to the girly flat styles seen at Giambattista Valli and pointy mary janes at the Miu Miu show, where Miuccia Prada managed to turn the mundane leather hotel slipper into the ultimate go-to shoe.
All these trends infiltrated the presentations and showrooms of both established brands and indie labels that further filled the city's packed fashion calendar, as seen, for example, at Roger Vivier, where creative director Gherardo Felloni embraced low heels, squared toes and all things optical, reinterpreting the brand founder's most graphic designs from the ‘60s.
“Probably I arrived at this inspiration now because I feel that we need elegant and beautiful things. Not just sneakers or masculine shoes. So this kind of proportion makes things comfortable but glamorous at the same time,” he said about the way he revisited the famed Belle Vivier shoes and its hallmark metal buckle via striking stripes and chunky kitten heels in mismatched colors.
Here, WWD rounds up some of the highlights from accessories presentations.