Behind-The-Scenes at Paris Fashion Week
Go backstage at Balmain, Dries, Isabel Marant, Mugler & more.
The international FW12 show circuit has almost wrapped up. We went backstage at New York, London and Milan, and now we see what happens behind-the-scenes at Paris. His sophomore season for Balmain, Olivier Rousteing told WWD that he was inspired by a particularly-decadent faberge egg that had belonged to Elizabeth Taylor. This came through the collection in the form of heavy, armor-like beading, pearls and crystals, Baroque patterns, brocade and gold. Dries Van Noten had an oriental influence, with kimono-like coats, patchwork pants and floral, dragon and sumo prints. Always high on drama, this season Viktor & Rolf's blown-out proportions of the past were largely traded in for loose, liquidy, flowing silks which picked up on pajama dressing but there was still volume, like in the fur coats. Isabel Marant still ran with the Navajo theme, but this time had classic cowgirl shirts and cowboy boots and more of a Prairie leaning, while Rick Owens was all neck-to-toe lengths and trench coats with models wearing headpieces reminiscent of fencing masks. Vivienne Westwood interchanged eras, from a seventeenth century ball gown to twenties tweeds and decidedly 80s blazers with pronounced shoulders. Mugler (sans Gaga) created sculptural, vase-like silhouettes, reminiscent of the anatomy of flowers while fluffy, elongated sleeves may have been designed with traditional Eskimo dress in mind.
Photography: Sonny Vandevelde
Alanna Bromley
