Best of Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2023 “It’s a Wrap”. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE.
Paris Fashion Week announced 107 fashion designers to show for the Spring Summer 2023 season, and present their vision and try to set up the trends. And like in New York, only a few fashion houses are worth talking about. Many emerging designers presented something that we have seen somewhere before.
And this fashion week became, strangely enough, a platform for scandals which turned out to be just another laughing stock no one will remember. Kanye West Or Yeezy came to Paris and hopelessly tried to fire up some racist “White Lives Matter” bullet, showing white race as the monsters, filming it, stating that people will remember only this about this fashion week. Well… he is so wrong. Not just me, but many experts, and simply people who follow fashion noticed that he didn’t have enough guts to do this ugly presentation in the USA, where he would definitely get caught for the racist statements. And second of all, Balenciaga performance “Mud show” became international laughing stock, so Yeezy with his gibberish he is still posting on his instagram account with threats and racist attacks addressed to many of his business partners, is totally uninteresting, not even from scandal point of view.
So to summer up, what was GOOD, BAD AND FUNNY during this fashion week in Paris.
This is how this Paris Fashion Week really looked like….
Yeezy Peasy Demna cheesy, or Laughing stock of Paris
Kayne West hoped to reunite with Demna Gvasalia, pro-Putin designer of Balenciaga, Matthew Williams, the Givenchy designer, who worked for Kayne West as art director at Donda, Kayne West’s creative agency, and get on some arty-ugly in Paris. And made us all laugh at!
And by the way, Yeezy, isn’t it your own reflection in the mirror?…
Givenchy
But there were many glitches in this reunion. Let’s start from Matthew Williams, designer for Givenchy. This fashion brand belongs to LVMH, and for many years was under total influence of the iconic image of Audrey Hepburn. When founder Hubert de Givenchy died in 2018 the brand decided to take a totally different direction and turn this brand into “toxic waste”. What did it give in 4 years? Simple result – clients you admired classy designs and loved this style, passing the passion from generation to generation simply left. And the stores are EMPTY today, and empty not just in Paris.
What can you do with empty stores? New clients didn’t come running to buy dirty shirts and denim jackets with ugly spray paintings on them. Nope! Even more, this Disney x Givenchy : 101 Dalmatians fiasco, left public totally uninterested by the Disney bags with animated characters on them for $1500, which you can buy almost the same at Disney store for $40.
“Both Disney and Givenchy combine magic and fantasy in their own way. Givenchy and Disney are both timeless creations and we have a long history of collaborating together, so it only made sense to continue that collaboration,” – said Matthew Williams. Yes, well… Givenchy WAS timeless when it was created but now it’s just busted. Who is interested in toxic waste even you sugar it up with Disney on top? This capsule collection was presented in July 2023, and 3 months later it is still marinating in the stores.
So Matthew Williams for this season got straightened out. One word – BANAL (read: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring)! To build the confidence of the clients it takes years, to lose them took 4 years. You can’t just swipe and take them back. It’s done, reputation of the brand is well destroyed, smashed to the ground. And the reconstruction takes years, didn’t you know?
We didn’t even publish this collection – nothing really to see. Who is he going to attract with these pieces? It’s something you can buy on the street market, or vintage store for 10$. Word “Pret-a-porter” for this collection would be a stretch. Here are couple of looks:
Balenciaga
When the show happened, and everybody left very angry as their very expensive shoes were muddy, their clothes smelled very badly, as a special “perfume” with disgusting smell was used as part of this “reality-show”, and the critics clarified that Demna Gvasalia, designer for Balenciaga, gave a glance of Putin’s wish-vision of Europe, nuclear winter and all, to scare us all, public started simply laughing.
No one got scared, not even a bit. When we posted images on our social media networks, we got wave of the comments and proposals to promote it for Halloween. How scary do you think it is?
Even better, thousands of the videos were posted with the comic parodies, imitating this show. The funniest we got from the farmers. They totally find themselves as trendsetters! You see, after all, Demna, we all laughing at you! FARMERS – ICONIC!!!! It’s not the reaction what you had in mind, isn’t it!
And that’s exactly what we are going to remember!
FARMERS are ICONIC!!!! Their walk and look are LEGENDARY! And I’m all for it!
Geeky and ridiculous
Hoodies designer Christelle Kocher went in collaboration with Google ATAP for an Ambient Experiment. She presented during this fashion week “Do hoodies dream of beautiful sunrises?” project. This line was displayed typing and sparkling on the hoodies with the screen behind. The idea of this is not very clear. Google ATAP is a high tech project that develops sensors. These sensors are usually used on walls “you walk in the toilet, and the light switches on” type of thing.
The use on the clothing was not very clear. This sparkling and typing effect for decades was developed by costume designers in Venice for carnival. And this story becomes even more vague when we read their press-release: “Do hoodies dream of beautiful sunrises?” At KOCHÉ, we make it happen… Clothes keep us warm and help us define who we are as individuals. But they are also an intermediary layer between people and their environment. They allow us to bond and to share what makes us unique… and our teams spent several months combining Ambient Computing with craftsmanship and couture exploring innovative materials and playing with Soli radar technology.”
Wordy and very puffy… And who would use “craftsmanship” and “couture” in relation to the hoodies, tee-shirts and tank-tops? Typing in the middle “Do hoodies dream of beautiful things?” doesn’t require any sensors for that, just led and a couple of batteries…. And it’s not even funny. So it looks quite ridiculous.
It goes even better. Christelle Kocher went to New York just before Paris Fashion Week, looking for new experiments and inspirations… I guess. She happily found one – Dapper Dan, famous counterfeit illegal goods tailor from Harlem, who faced massive lawsuits from Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Chanel and so on.
She posted proudly on her instagram “Such a legend Dapper Dan, you are a true inspiration”. Yes, he is! Legendary indeed! The FBI, New York Police Department, and attorneys literally chased him! That is such a brilliant idea. Don’t you read, or just go where it sparkles? New York Times, Runway Magazine, and many other news media published their research about it.
Louis Vuitton and LVMH are gonna LOVE this collaboration!
But enough about ugly and ridiculous. Now funny part begins – Paris Fashion week had many absolutely fabulous, great and funny moments.
Beyoncé private party Club Renaissance in partnership with Tiffany & Co
Beyoncé this year released her new album “Renaissance”. Many events, shootings, music videos already happened and planned. She couldn’t miss Paris Fashion Week for the world! Yes, she was here and threw fabulous party where only very selected guests were invited.
And here’s the story with photos from the secret party of Beyoncé “Club Renaissance” in partnership with Tiffany & Co
Funny moment – Models fight
How much fun do you think models have during fashion week?… A lot! I appreciated this video the most. It says it all – performance by Karlie Kloss, Ashley Graham and Coco Rocha, who are friends in real life. To add here this performance at first shocked the photographers, at first they stopped breathing and thought something was really wrong… then laughed…. and they couldn’t stop laughing!
The most beautiful moment to remember from Paris Fashion Week 2022
This fashion week 13 luxury houses showed absolutely fabulous collections, surprising and creative.
Christian Dior
Christian Dior showed absolutely magical collection for the next Spring Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear season. Dior spring-summer 2023 ready-to-wear show diffused on the metaverse platform Meta ZiWU on Baidu Xi Rang, and by RUNWAY MAGAZINE on Spatial. The show and all looks of the collection is still available in our Runway Metaverse Space. GO AND HAVE A LOOK!
This was my first favorite show this season. See all looks HERE.
Balmain
YES! Olivier Rousteing finally did!!!! After years of reproductions and plagiarism he made a collection totally and completely inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier. And it is sort of understandable, as 3 months ago he passed his time with archives of Jean Paul Gaultier and was guest-designer for Haute Couture collection.
The moment to remember – Cher surprising appearance at the show. See all looks HERE.
Saint Laurent
Schiaparelli
Beautiful way to resort the archives of Schiaparelli and embroideries of Maison Lesage. Elegant looks, golden patches and embroideries. Simply beautiful. Noticeable golden painting of a body over the dress. It’s another beautiful interpretation of Jean Paul Gaultier concept we see this fashion week, this time it’s gold body… or gold finger…
Rick Owens
From dark cult designer to Haute Couture pink. That’s new Rick Owens. He blew minds by his ballerina skirts and boots, big jewelry and slinky shiny leather dresses. The collection is absolutely fabulous and sunshine like. Every piece is a tribute and statement of love and life. It is a third season he is in a pink mood. How pretty wonderful. Where’s Sarah Jessica Parker when we need her to walk down the runway?
Elie Saab
The Elie Saab Woman drifts onto the scene in gentle warmth and movement. Her colorful confidence is embodied in the Ready-To-Wear collection, exuding a timeless chic with a touch of garden freshness. Some unusual for Elie Saab pieces, like embroidered bombers were shown on runway today. Collection is a beautiful tribute to young and elegant woman from generation Z.
Hermes
Desert’s neutral tones. About the collection: a dance in the desert, where the daylight gives way to the acid-bright shades of dusk. Colors speed by with the passing hours, coursing over agile and ethereal looks inhabited by lightness.
Off-White
After Virgil Abloh Off-White brand artistic direction took IB, or Ibrahim Kamara (born 1990), London-based fashion journalist, stylist. Ibrahim Kamara served as stylist on the late designer’s Off-White shows – was appointed “Image and Art Director” of the brand co-owned by Abloh’s Estate and LVMH.
Valentino
Creative director of Maison Valentino Pierpaolo Piccioli “Unboxed” and revealed Valentino, the profound sense and meaning of the house and the collection, all the signs, shades, cuts and codes synthesized unfolding an image, uncovering an idea, different faces, perspectives and voices.
Chanel
Haunted film, populated by stories, Last Year in Marienbad by Alain Resnais (1961) is a revolution artistic crossed by a sophisticated look, developed by Gabrielle Chanel around the idea, central to her home, freedom of movement.
“The films that we have seen, those that possess us and also those that we make, Marienbad, the New Vague, the look according to Gabrielle Chanel, Karl, the night, feathers, sequins, heels: I like when things get mixed up,” observes Virginie Viard.
Chanel washed out completely any traces of Karl Lagerfeld.
Kristen Stewart is its most faithful incarnation today. “Whether it’s her, or the other women I dress, I need to feel that they love the garment. But, of the people around me, she is the closest to Gabrielle Chanel, at least from the idea that I have. She understands Chanel, her garment. And with it it becomes even more modern. This collection is also her. »
Louis Vuitton
This was Second my favorite show this season – the doll house. Louis Vuitton show was staged once again in the Musée du Louvre’s Cour Carrée in Paris with a special set design, a multi-faceted concept by leading French contemporary artist Philippe Parreno.
This spectacular set-design became another playground for the big dolls of Nicolas Ghesquiere. Cute, very cute looks, and oversized buttons, belts, zippers. This collection is particularly fun. Such wonderful finish for this Paris Fashion Week. Oversized hearts to you, Nicolas Ghesquiere, as we are all in love, and just about scrapbooking these wonderful memories.
Thom Browne
Thom Browne show was one of the last shows this fashion week, and probably the greatest. And definitely on my THE MOST FAVORITE LIST. Joy, Happiness, and Dance – the Cinderella story.
Welcome to the ball!… Oh yes, and we probably should start with “bippity-boppity-boo“… oh yes, of course. It’s like all the most enchanting fairy tale starts… so… one more time…
You’ve got the most amazing story, and the show during this Paris Fashion Week – the show of Thom Browne. He presented the modern time Cinderella at the ball. We had it all – the show, the pink Cadillac, even all Cinderellas were numbered like a baseball team at the ball where we were all invited.
And you can count on…. Yes, you can count: Cinderella number 1, Cinderella number 2, Cinderella number 3…. 23 Cinderellas paraded at Thom Browne show.
And here’s the BEAUTIFUL FAIRY END of this Paris Fashion Week for Spring Summer 2023 season where we all live happily ever after…
