Ruhi Gilder
Imagine the Spring-Summer of 2022 from the perspective of the best in luxury fashion. Reputed labels like Hermès, Balmain, Chloé, Lanvin, show us the trendiest looks gracing the runways of Paris this season. Read on to see the best looks right off the ramp.
Balmain
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“In many ways, I see this moment as a key date — We’re regrouping, saluting a past chapter, and moving forward into a new era. And that new era is all about freedom,” says Creative Director Olivier Rousteing. Marking Rousteing’s 10-year anniversary, the collection is rooted in rebellion and renewal. Gold chain link details, fringes, cut-outs, were all seen in abundance on the runway.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga’s Summer 22 presentation had two parts, a photo call on a Hollywood-style red carpet, and a movie premiere. Guests wearing the new collection paused on the walkway before being ushered into a theatre screening the short film ‘The Simpsons I Balenciaga.’ The edit consists of streetwear, daywear, and elegant evening wear pieces. Silhouettes vary from slim fitting to disproportionately oversized.
Chanel
Creative Director Virginie Viard gathers her SS22 creations on a raised runway where models parade down, surrounded by photographers. The scene evokes the nostalgia of the 1980s. Photography duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, played old-school show photographers, snapping the models who stopped to pose and preen for them. The first couple of looks seemed an ode to Karl Lagerfeld’s time at the house, with CC-branded swimsuits and briefs. Purses shaped like N°5 bottles, ’90s-inspired designs like sequinned dresses, boxy jackets and classic Chanel suits, take to the runway.
Chloé
The Chloe Spring Summer ‘22 show was held at the Quai de la Tournelle, Paris. Artisans of Madagascar-based Akanjo, make intricately knotted pieced from strips of leftover fabric. The collection features handmade macrame using deadstock printed silk. Summery kaftans, ponchos, lacy dresses, trench coats, knotted fringed hems, colour this edit by Gabriela Hearst. The soles of the Chloe Lou line were made in collaboration with Ocean Sole, a Kenyan social enterprise that upcycles flip-flops found washed up on beaches and waterways.
Elie Saab
Splendour in the Sun, Elie Saab’s Spring-Summer 2022 collection pays homage to the boho-chic style of the carefree seventies. The edit is filled with sophisticated style in the form of sequinned gowns, stunning co-ords, white dresses paired with olive bags.
Givenchy
Peplums, fringes, sculpted shoulders, nipped-in waists are thrown in Givenchy’s Spring Summer ‘22 collection. Matthew M. Williams collaborated with New York artist Josh Smith for this edit, who says of the outfits, “Matt showed up in my studio and we started cooking together…we made some delicious things. We burnt some stuff and that tasted good too. Matt took a to-go bag back to Paris and shared all of this with his sharp creative team. This collection is a miracle. The sky is the limit. Thanks for taking a look.” Bridging the classical, radical and practical, the collection is a mix of luxury and utility, lavishness and austerity, together with imperfect beauty and humanity.
Hermès
Bringing optimism to summer is Hermès showcase at Paris Fashion Week. Le Bourget airport was the site of the unveiling. Whites, pale, buttery yellow, burnt umber and stark black pieces in leather and knitwear were the base of the collection. Drawstring waists, eyelet details, tiny pearl studs, and structured silhouettes make you imagine the summer of 2022 in vivid minutiae.
Lanvin
For Spring Summer 2022 Bruno Sialelli and legendary accessories designer Judith Lieber created an edit of five shimmering minaudière handbags in the shape of a cat, starfish, and heart. Another capsule collection debuted on the runway, a Batman-inspired one. Yellow and black florals, decorate a variety of silhouettes, purple and teal dominate the runway with silky fabrics that seem to glisten like water.
Louis Vuitton
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A landmark in Paris, the Louvre Museum is the setting for the iconic French brand, Louis Vuitton’s, Women’s Spring-Summer 2022 Collection. The latest collection focuses on how clothes evolve and transform through different eras. Emulating a grand ball of time, Nicolas Ghesquière fuses the fashion of generations. The runway was in the Passage Richelieu, a space with historic significance. It was used by Louis Vuitton for his meetings with Empress Eugénie, for whom he was the exclusive trunk maker. A surprise appearance was made by a protestor carrying a sign reading ‘Overconsumption = Extinction,’ as she made it to the end of the runway.
Stella McCartney
According to Stella McCartney, the future of fashion is mushrooms. Presented at Espace Niemeyer in Paris, biophilic design reigns supreme. Sustainable bodycon cut-out dresses, textured mesh jumpers styled with monochromatic tailoring and light, and semi-transparent cupro parkas feature in the collection. Stella’s vision for the presentation was inspired by fungi’s transformative and transcendental qualities, as seen in the Fantastic Fungi documentary. This complemented the launch of the special-edition Frayme Mylo™️ – a new Stella icon and the world’s first bag made from Bolt Thread’s innovative mycelium leather to be featured on a runway.
Valentino
The Valentino Rendez-Vous collection was “imagined in the studio, created in the Atelier, and set free in the streets of Paris.” The show took place in the old marketplace at the Carreau du Temple, where lines of cafés and restaurants created a wonderful combination of couture and casual. The edit consisted of sequinned capes, colour-blocked purple and green ensembles, LBDs, co-ords, floral prints, inspired by house archives.
Also read:
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