Do you ever suffer from what I call 'bloggers guilt'? It's when you neglect your blog for more than a day, in my case, and then when you go back to it, realise that about a million shows have been and gone, and that they've all been numerously blogged by the bloggers on your dashboard, and you haven't even had a look yet. When people are depicting the trends, and piecing together their favourite looks, whilst you're left to trudge your way through from the beginning it seems, feeling annoyingly 'behind the times'. This is how I'm feeling at the moment, and it's kind of ridiculous how guilty I feel, that I haven't followed Paris fashion week in the slightest, or some of my favourite designers, or even really cared for the past couple days; and this is all because I've been living in the little bubble that was my birthday. It lasted nearly 5 days, and I think I deserve some kind of recognition for managing to milk it this long. I'm really going to miss saying 'but it's my birthday'.
Now that everyone has gone back home, and I've crashed back down to the land of very fast approaching uni essays, I've realised how much has gone on in Paris fashion week, and what amazing collections have been shown - probably more than London I'd say.
So, here we begin. I'm going to make an attempt at getting back into blogging - good job I enjoy it, really!
Miu Miu.
I really loved this Miu Miu collection, and it's kind of growing on me even more with every time I look at it. I love the sixties vibe in brash, clashing colours of purple and orange, and oversized flourishes of flowers. The rigid flair on the dresses, right near the hemline, gave a modern twist to the shift dresses synonymous with the sixties era. The key to all the garments were bow details from the neck to toe, which were particularly elaborated on the shoes. Talking of the shoes, interesting aren't they? Can't say I like them to be honest. You've got one selection that looks slightly Edwardian - square toed, with a high 'tongue' (I have no structural shoe knowledge, so this may easily be a term I've made up) heavily embellished and a rigid, square heel - and then you've got the other selection, which only serves to remind me of a Shire horse hoof, courtesy of the attached ankle curtains. There was a little too much black to the collection as well for me, but the twisted details that Miuccia brings to Miu Miu were as gorgeous as always. Note: the giant pockets on the lilac skirt below - adorable!
Louis Vuitton.
Who'd have thought the prim and proper look of a middle-class mother, would have become such a feature of the later shows this season? It's easy to see why - for what the mid-calf length skirts take away from showy, sexy legs, the low cut, tightly bound tops more than make up for. It's kind of refreshing, I think, after a couple of seasons of Balmain dominated body-con mini dresses, so overtly young and sexy, to see something a little more demure, whilst still so clearly worshipping the female form. The skirts at Vuitton didn't shroud the models and drown them in fabric; far from it in fact. They accentuated the hips and created the coveted hour-glass figure, with their continued high-waisted, wide-hipped, massively cleavage-enhancing silhouette. I loved seeing these skirts in leather, which made them very much high up on my 'wishlist-of-gorgeous-designer-clothes-I-create-dream-outfits-from-but-can't-actually-buy'. When floral prints were used, they weren't sickeningly over the top, but looked perfect for the transition from the pretty pastels of spring, into the duskier shades of Autumn. Slicked back pony tails, dewy, fresh skin and a lot of skin on top to counteract the cover-up on bottom, are key to this look to avoid looking like your fashion-phobic Grandma
The pièce de résistance was seeing Elle Macpherson, one of my all time favourite models, back on the runway.
Elie Saab.
One of my favourites, Elie Saab, didn't fail to deliver some beautiful pieces as usual. He layered lace underneath sheer fabrics, ruffled beautifully, which made the lace look much softer and more delicate. Some of the earlier dresses had that sleek, polished, chic finish, which I now associate with (dare I say it, yet) Victoria Beckham, especially with the models slicked back hair. I loved the short jackets, veined with a slight shimmer that gave a leather-like finish, paired with shorts, and chunky necklaces. I always go through his collections in anticipation of the evening gowns at the end, and they were expectantly stunning. My favourite was a dark, moss green gown worn by Liu Wen. She looked so miserable wearing it though, you would have thought she was wearing a shabby sack.
So there we have it...it's not a lot, but I feel alot more up to date with what's going on. For the last day of Paris Fashion week that is...
Photos: style.com, put together by me.
