Sitting in the middle of a wheat field under the gorgeous glass ceiling of the Grand Palais, fashion fans feasted their eyes on Karl Lagerfeld's newest collection for Chanel. The scrumptious Grand Palais is one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris and Mr. Lagerfeld took full advantage by combining the unexpected with the magnificent. His collection was a hit with short and snazzy skirts, crocheted robes and comfortably sexy mules, but the farm style runway and the unusual back-up singers for singer Lily Allen got mixed reviews. No matter though, Lagerfeld is always known for being a bit eccentric and anything slightly weird or different that he may do just adds to his mystic. You can check out a bit of the show and form your own opinion.
Paris Fashion Week was considered a great success by most everyone polled. The common thread that seemed to run through all the shows though was that of making fashion more wearable. The current economy has created a real challenge for many fashion houses and most designers have realized that they need to make their creations for a broader audience if they hope to stay afloat. Christian Lacroix and Yohji Yamamoto are just two of the haute couture houses whose futures are in question at the moment.
The move "back to the basics" was anything but boring though. Designers took everyday ideas and added their own creative twists to bring a whole new fun to fashion. Stella McCartney took the common short skirt, styled it in elegant silk and made it a thing to behold. Marc Jacobs took inspiration from army rags and street fashion and created looks that any fashionista would be more than proud to wear. Marithé et François Girbaud spiced up the feminine wardrobe by adding lace, ribbon and cords to adjust the clothing pieces just right to most any woman's figure.
Though clothing retail is on a slight decline at the moment, the promise of a reviving economy and the spectacular pieces on display this past week in Paris will certainly prompt more than one fashion lover to open her wallet. The main thing is to have fun, find a new piece or two that you can add to your wardrobe that will give it a nice update, and make sure it is something that you really want to wear and are not just buying it because it is the new "in" thing. Voila, you are set for Spring 2010!
So it is time to say au revoir to fashion week in Paris once more and now we can just look forward to the Fall/Autumn collections when they make their way to the City of Lights in Spring 2010.
To your Spirited Style,
- Dawn Z Bournand www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Click here to read more of Dawn's posts.
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