Paris Fashion Week: Schiaparelli and Chloé

Paris Fashion Week’s main action on Thursday began and ended with two historic marques, Chloé and Schiaparelli, strutting their stuff with brio, the first with a debut, the second with fresh impetus.
 

Schiaparelli: The Spirit of Elsa is alive and well

Like the oddly bombastic soundtrack, the latest Schiaparelli collection felt very much like it was made to make a point. To wit, that Daniel Roseberry is entirely capable of creating a commercially successful ready-to-wear.
 

So far, Roseberry has done a remarkable job with Schiaparelli couture, dressing scores of great international actresses, singers and stars on red carpets and in editorial shoots.
 
Though in ready-to-wear, despite all the acclaim, the house has only ever opened four small shop-in-shops along with its own third floor boutique in Place Vendôme. This collection should certainly change all that, as Daniel fused multiple codes into very wearable, albeit, attention-seeking, outfits.

Staged inside Pavillon Vendôme, a show space used before by scores of brands, this felt much more like a conventional show, compared to Roseberry’s grand couture outings beneath the giant frescos of the Petit Palais.
 
The American designer cutting great beige and grey pants suits, their lapels trimmed with Schiap’s favorite measuring tapes; while the founder’s fondness for active sport ideas was apparent in cargo pants, fencer’s corsets and sprinter’s gear cut into sleek cocktails.
 
While Roseberry’s U.S. upbringing in denim appeared in a great puff-shouldered jean jacket and skirt, finished with pearl buttons. Oversized cabans and pea coats in navy blue or ecru serge looked great and very new with their quadruple lines of buttons. 
 
Best of all, his use of body part costume jewelry looked far less theatrical, and far more chic signifiers of the brand’s DNA.
 
In his program notes, Daniel expressed the desire that these individual pieces will be regarded as “future vintage.” Just as Elsa Schiaparelli’s jewelry and his own anatomy accessorized bags for the brand have become instant classics.
 
The show was the first since L Catterton and LVMH acquired a 46% stake in the Tod’s Group, the owner of Schiaparelli, and this felt like a very successful next chapter in the house’s development. The senior LVMH honcho Sidney Toledano sat beaming front row.
 
Daniel entitled the collection ‘Esprit de Schiap’, and it would appear her spirit is alive and well.

Chloé: Chemena Kamali debuts with élan

Paris loves a fashion debut and enjoyed a very impressive one on Thursday, at the premier of Chemena Kamali for the house of Chloé.

See catwalk

As a brand, Chloé is in many ways the ultimate expression of Parisienne joie de vivre, which is why Kamali’s debut worked so well.
 
The German-born designer tapped into Chloé’s glory days in the sixties – an era of rapid change and stark alterations in tastes and morals, just like our current era.
 
Riffing on posh hippie chic, Chemena sent out marvelous chiffon blouses; micro capes in sleek leather; barely-there lingerie looks worn with thigh boots; or flared jeans worn with platform cowboy boots.
 
Her color palette was strict – beige, brick, black and a little ruby. Which made the whole collection very focused.
 
“This collection is about intuition, freedom instinctive female energy… Chloé lets you be yourself; it doesn’t transform you. Follow your intuition,” insisted Kamail.
 
Quite why the house decided to stage this show in a gloomy old post office building where everyone and their granny has been showing this year in menswear and women’s wear made little sense.

Distracting from the Gallic cool of these clothes. But apart from that, this was very assured debut, which marks out Kamali as very much a designer to watch.