San Francisco Frontiers - Paris Women's Fashion Week: the key trends

- Fashion in kit form -

Instead of outfits conceived as complete looks, designers have this season largely begun breaking them down into independent pieces that can be mixed and matched by buyers.

"The emergence of separates has become a key theme of this season, as we took our signature silhouettes, gowns, necklines, and reimagined them as tops and bottoms," Schiaparelli designer Daniel Roseberry said in his show notes.

Clashing patterns and mixed up styles and shapes were a key theme of the Paris fashion shows, as well as those at the Fashion Weeks in Milan, London and New York.

"Styling and mix-and-match are becoming almost as important as the product itself," said Victoria Dartigues, director of women’s ready-to-wear and leather goods buying at the luxury Galeries Lafayette chain in Paris.

"It is a form of fashion that encourages you to create your own look rather than adopt a uniform — sophisticated clothes worn instinctively."

Citing the Celine and The Row collections, she added: "We are moving away from the idea of a total look or a single trend towards a wardrobe that feels built up over time, where each piece brings an extra touch of character."

- The skirt -

The skirt is everywhere on the catwalks "with plenty of fluidity and movement, in a range of shapes and lengths", according to Elodie Abrial, commercial director of Le Bon Marche department store in Paris.

At Chanel, it returned again and again just below the knee, a length even known as "the Chanel length", considered by Gabrielle Chanel to be the most flattering.

In Milan, Prada focused single-mindedly on "this unique and universal garment", the house said.

"The skirt is a contemporary object because it is flexible and adaptable. It invites contradiction," Miuccia Prada said in a statement after the show.

"Every skirt can also be completely reinvented by the person wearing it, through combinations and juxtapositions with other pieces. They can transform its meaning," the designer stressed.

- Bras on show -

Although "nude dressing" seems to have peaked, there is still plenty of skin on display.

Many designers put lingerie on display, particularly bralettes worn alone or under a jacket.

Other labels including Chanel had models walk out with nothing underneath their jackets, except for a chain connecting the two lapels.

Dolce & Gabbana paired lace and fur, while at Fendi designer Maria Grazia Chiuri put the bra — such as a peach satin triangle embroidered in black — at the heart of her sensual silhouettes.

- Soothing colours -

"Colours that soothe and lower cortisol levels — butter, lavender, sage," fashion journalist Pascal K. Douglas said of the colours for Spring-Summer.

"These nature-linked colours are soothing for the body, as at Dries Van Noten, Esther Manas and Gundi Studios, they call for calm and peace in reaction to the current socio-political climate."

There were similarly soft colours at Victoria Beckham, Stella McCartney and Icicle in Paris, and Ashley Williams in London, with shoulder-padded shirts ranging from pale blue to baby pink and yellow.

At Milan Fashion Week, Diesel sweetened the palette with a mint-green skirt and bubblegum-pink jacket, while at Bottega Veneta a comfortable pair of pale-yellow pleated trousers was paired with a Malabar-yellow ruffled blouse.

- High volume -

Dreamed up by Christian Lacroix in the mid-1980s, the "pouf" or bubble skirt — an inflated skirt structure — is making a triumphant comeback.

Loewe and Dior made it a key silhouette, while Miu Miu and Zimmermann offered very short versions.

Comme des Garcons made it its centrepiece in denim, a sculpture as puffy as it was comic.

The question is whether the trend will quickly deflate on the streets: the skirts might look great on the catwalk or while standing up, but are virtually impossible to wear while sitting down.

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H.Reyes--SFF