AP

Chanel gets gently geometric in far-flung Paris couture

Jul 5, 2022, 11:09 AM | Updated: 3:33 pm

A model wears a creation as part of Mabille's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

(AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) — Birds tweeted — not fashionistas — the day Chanel brought its couture guests to the calm of the Bois de Boulogne forest.

On Tuesday morning, bleary-eyed VIPs walked across tons of white sand through the Etrier de Paris equestrian center on the leafy outskirts of Paris, past lines of spinning wheels and inflatable capsules as nature, fashion and art mingled.

The dreamscape had been specially made for fall-winter by artist Xavier Veilhan, who had adorned Chanel’s indoor ring venue with a gargantuan silver mobile. It had guests — including Marion Cotillard and Keira Knightley — gawping.

Haute couture is the age-old Parisian tradition of producing exorbitantly priced, made-to-measure garments for the world’s richest women.

Here are some highlights of the day’s fall-winter 2022 collections:

CHANEL’S SOFTNESS

With a somewhat incongruous drum rendition via video recording, Chanel ambassador Pharrell Williams rousingly kicked off proceedings before the “real” show began — to soft music and even softer form.

Gentle colors, lines and shapes, punctuated by moments of dazzling buttons, floaty plumes and large hats was the simple formula for Virginie Viard. The French designer was in a soft mood for couture this season, letting subtle twists do the talking.

A loose pastel green skirt suit opened, lined with minutely sparkling crystalline buttons made by the stalwart’s world-famous atelier. It led on to fastidious embroideries and jacquards on loose coats in speckled mint and sand with often-oversize or upturned collars, laded with an air of the 80s. A-line coats with a weighty swag, dropped waists and statement pockets, meanwhile, introduced subtle tensions — alongside hems and fringing in contrasting patterns.

Yet the best looks were those that kept it minimal. A ribbed olive green gown with a clean strap across the bust flared out at the bottom — in a clever take on a mermaid dress. It towed a perfect line between sporty and chic.

Yet, there’s a niggling feeling that Viard has been playing it safe ever since replacing Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019.

FRONT ROW

It’s got to be couture week when, to blasting horns of annoyed motorists in tangled traffic, paparazzi skid in the sand for a snap of the celebrity roll call.

Keira Knightley, 37, arrived at the far-flung Chanel show amid the most commotion. The actress, who’s been a house ambassador since 21, arrived in a velvet and lace halterneck LBD by Chanel, accessorized with shades and her husband, British musician James Righton.

French Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard rocked up in a more casual ensemble, comprising a striped Chanel shirt and black micro mini, declining interviews. Actresses Sigourney Weaver, Clemence Poesy and Maggie Gyllenhaal also joined — applauding vigorously when the designer came out at the finale.

ALEXIS MABILLE BLOOMS

French designer Alexis Mabille was in top fall form for a timeless collection of couture that never forgot its whimsy.

Draped gowns in luxuriant pastel silks caressed the body, quivering lightly as they were showcased down the dazzling indigo fabric runway.

Flowers were never far from the Mabille design universe — both literally and figuratively.

A pastel gray silk dress had a central curved split at the knee so that the hem cascaded down in folds like an opening flower. Its top bib was made of intricate white lace like the veins of a petal under a microscope.

Then came flashes of whimsical fashion design — such as one enormous silken flower headdress made of multitudinous shimmering petals.

MENSWEAR REIGNS IN PARIS

Front row fashion insiders are commenting how Paris menswear week — held June 21-26 — felt as equally buzzy as this week’s VIP-filled couture. And unusually so. Couture traditionally outperforms menswear in terms of attention and celebrity presence. But could this be a thing of the past?

From Justin Timberlake to K-pop sensations BTS, the celebrity presence alone of the menswear spring summer 2023 season was enough to rival this week’s couture. And that signals higher levels of attention than normal in the glossy press and online.

This change in gear — or fashion levelling out — comes as men’s luxury brand portfolio has been outperforming women’s wear in terms of growth more generally with more and more eyeballs on the men’s runway.

Of particular note is the proliferation of U.S. menswear brands, which are now opting to show across the pond in Paris to capitalize on the attention. After the ill-fated New York men’s fashion week — launched in 2016 and then canceled over a dwindling presence — reports have noted how myriad U.S.-based houses such as Thom Browne, Amiri, Greg Lauren, KidSuper and Rhude have opted to showcase their designs in the City of Light.

ARMANI GOES ART DECO

A geometric runway cross-pollinated to gentle geometry for Giorgio Armani. This couture season, the Italian fashion legend wanted to “give new space to sparkle and frivolity” inspired by the universe of Art Deco Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka.

On the runway the heyday of the graphic Art Deco movement — the 1930s — was evoked through a graphicism in the silhouettes. Art Deco was a movement created in reaction to Art Nouveau, replacing the latter’s undulating shapes with geometry.

A silken gray jacket had the Oriental-feel fashionable at that time with silvery linear trim. Elsewhere, swirls adorned the busts of dark fitted column gowns, while earrings and necklaces came as chunky and graphic.

As ever, Armani showcased his signature statement shoulders, shimmering organzas and satins and lashings of sparkle in the longest collection seen all season. There were in total 92 looks.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              A model wears a creation as part of Mabille's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              Models wear creations as part of Mabille's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              A spectator, right, uses a cell phone to record the Mabille Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              A spectator, right, uses a cell phone to record the Mabille Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              Soo Joo Park attends the Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              A model wears a creation as part of Chanel's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              Models wear creations as part of Chanel's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              Models wear creations as part of Chanel's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              A model wears a creation as part of Chanel's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
            
              Sigourney Weaver arrives for the Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection presented Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

AP

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jers...

Associated Press

3rd Republican presidential debate is set for Nov. 8 in Miami, with the strictest qualifications yet

The third Republican presidential debate will be held in Miami on Nov. 8, a day after several states hold off-year elections.

4 days ago

During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal ...

Associated Press

The fall equinox is here. What does that mean?

The equinox arrives on Saturday, marking the start of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere. But what does that actually mean?

4 days ago

Ray Epps Ray Epps, an Arizona man who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, ...

Associated Press

Ray Epps, an Arizona man who supported Trump, pleads guilty to Capital riot charge

Ray Epps, the target of a conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge.

6 days ago

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, to ...

Associated Press

Trump refuses to say in a TV interview how he watched the Jan. 6 attack unfold at the US Capitol

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot.

9 days ago

This frame grab from video, provided by the Mexican government, shows Ovidio Guzman Lopez being det...

Associated Press

Mexico extradites son of ‘El Chapo,’ Ovidio Guzman Lopez to US

The son of notorious cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzman Lopez was extradited to the U.S. on Friday.

10 days ago

Follow @ktar923...

Sponsored Content by Schwartz Laser Eye Center

Key dates for Arizona sports fans to look forward to this fall

Fall brings new beginnings in different ways for Arizona’s professional sports teams like the Cardinals and Coyotes.

Sponsored Articles

...

Mayo Clinic

Game on! Expert sports physicals focused on you

With tryouts quickly approaching, now is the time for parents to schedule physicals for their student-athlete. The Arizona Interscholastic Association requires that all student-athletes must have a physical exam completed before participating in team practices or competition.

...

Ability360

At Ability360, every day is Independence Day

With 100 different programs and services, more than 1,500 non-medically based home care staff, a world-renowned Sports & Fitness Center and over 15,000 people with disabilities served annually, across all ages and demographics, Ability360 is a nationwide leader in the disability community.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

Chanel gets gently geometric in far-flung Paris couture