McQueen, Chanel, & Valentino. What else could you ask for in a day?

McQueen, Chanel, & Valentino. There could not be three more different design houses today at Paris Fashion Week when it came to their Fall 2011 collections. To be honest, I thought Valentino was the least exciting, McQueen the most intriguing, and Chanel the most changed. 

Oh Karl Lagerfeld--an ingenious man, that's for sure! Chanel's notorious tailoring has been around since Gabrielle Chanel began designing. The beyond well-established design house has set a standard of high class elegance and luxury and Karl Lagerfeld has continued this tradition. Season after season, Lagerfeld has continued to use twill, and the signature black and white Chanel fabric. This time around, the design house seemed to have changed their look drastically, while still keeping an elegant edge to it. This show surprised me when I saw lace-up boots folded down, revealing a typical black and white Chanel checkered fabric. The collection was street-elegant, in that Karl Lagerfeld combined the stylish messiness of everyday street fashion with the high class line that Chanel has always represented. Chanel has definitely not lost its hauteness, and indeed has gained a new form of design while still staying true to itself.

 

The Valentino collection was plain and safe. Nude, black, navy and fur--that was about it. There were some silhouettes which I did like very much, but I wasn't surprised with anything. I guess that's what their couture line is for. Similar to Gucci, Valentino focused on furs and added simplicity to the designs such as mild zig-zags.

The Alexander McQueen show was quite a show. I was looking out for the killer heels, and of course now I want them all. I liked the overall collection, but I was confused and thought of two different concepts while viewing the collection. The first a warrior woman, and the second a bride. This collection was very reminiscent of certain design techniques of the great Alexander McQueen, but there were some new things that were not usual for a McQueen show (i. e. the strapped woman look). The makeup was as usual, light and formed a look of purity. My favorite pieces were the last few gowns because the top bodice of each garment really did remind me of something McQueen would have made.  Many of the looks were made with fur, while many seemed like inter-weaved pieces of a leather like material. The added black straps to many of the pieces evoked fighting imagery, which contradicted the elegant gowns towards the end of the show. Ultimately the show was a combination of two different concepts, but the off white and black color scheme held the collection together. 

 

xox,

RoJo