Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week Ready-to-Wear ended last week and as an obsessive fashion addict, it is one of my favorite weeks. This is the week when design houses that I dream about show their ready-to-wear styles for the next season (because some of them are special enough to have haute couture lines.) I was a little surprised about how “wearable” many of the styles were from the runway. It’s easy to see them transitioning into the everyday wardrobe when spring comes. Some of my favorite shows were Balmain, Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton and of course Chanel.

The looks at Balmain were all about power dressing. A sophisticated woman who can rise to the top while still dripping with sex appeal is the goal of Olivier Rousteing at Balmain. Many of the looks had black leather lattice work, dresses were tight but also longer, and pants were wide legged trousers paired either as a jumper or with an ultra chic top. With typical Balmain fashion, it was vintage in a way with references to past collections from designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy. I love how to collection is so sexy without it being revealing.

It makes me so sad to say this but Jean Paul Gaultier went out with an extravagant affair for his last Ready to Wear show. He is moving on and focusing only on haute couture and that might be one of the most depressing but exciting things I’ve ever heard. His final show was a “Miss Jean Paul Gaultier 2015” competition with with categories like Miss Smoking, Miss Wives and Girlfriends of Soccer Players, Miss Tour de France and Miss Meteo (or Miss Weather in English). The looks were all over the place- sharp pinstripes and tailoring to models in Mexican wrestling masks. The show was everything I expected and more. Monsieur Gaultier bid Ready to Wear goodbye in the best way possible.

I might be a little biased here because I have been in love with Louis Vuitton for years. Not because of their super cute brown and black monogram bags, but because of the brilliance that goes into making every piece they come out with whether it be clothing or accessories. The collection that went down this runway can best be described as preppy meets vintage. Models donned cropped flairs with beautifully designed boots, knit dresses with fabulous detailing, and skirts of multi color leather stripes. The bags however could have stood alone, exquisitely designed and unlike the bags we all have been used to seeing from the house. Not only were the bags new, the LV logo was too. It is clean and contemporary and the perfect fit for the direction Louis Vuitton is headed in. Nicolas Ghesquiére’s first year with Louis Vuitton has been a dream come true.

Chanel not only had an amazing collection, a runway made to look like Boulevard Chanel with actual puddles and my favorite model (Gisele Bündchen), they also held a protest to end the show. Karl Lagerfeld is one of my idols and an absolute genius in the world of fashion. He wanted every look that he sent down that Boulevard to be something that every woman could wear daily. Models walked in groups rather than alone as if they were strolling down the street with friends. He kept with traditional Chanel using tweed, florals and adorable cocktail dresses which is exactly what fans of Chanel want.