What went down? GUAP’s Highlights from Paris Fashion Week SS24

Closing off Fashion season we had a range of powerful shows in Paris Fashion Week, shows that encompassed the luxury, history and innovation associated with the city. We saw emotional runways dedicated to past founders, and elements of design and craftsmanship that wowed audiences. Here are our top 5 shows from PFW Spring/Summer 24.

Schiaparelli

Starting off strong we witnessed Daniel Roseberry’s SS24 collection for Schiaparelli debuted at the Italian Embassy in Paris. The collection was inspired by founder Elsa Schiaparelli and drew on themes synonymous with the brand, such as her fascination with surrealism and the avant-garde. We saw this in the various lobster motifs that referenced the design that Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí painted on a dress for Schiaparelli in 1937, and the experimental detailing that Roseberry played with in this collection, such as the spilled nail polish spelling out “Schiaparelli” with the cigarettes posed around it. We also saw variations of the sleek keyhole motif which made its way out the  runway before the show began, in the mesmerising custom dress worn by Kylie Jenner which went viral. This collection remained consistent with Roseberry’s streak of creating elegant, well–thought out pieces that mark the runway in high form every time. 

Mugler

Next we have  Mugler’s SS24 runway situated at Les Salles du Carrousel beneath the Musée du Louvre. Similarly to Roseberry at Schiaparelli, Casey Cadwallader’s Mugler has always been one to pay an ode to the fashion house’s original director Thierry Mugler, and this collection was no exception. The runway featured a range of co-ordinated and constructed pieces, some of which referenced Thierry Mugler’s haute couture SS98 collection. Others drew on Cadwallader’s fascination with the ocean and the beauty that lies within it. A nod to the past was also seen in other design elements, such as the shoulder pad silhouettes and hard-surfaced bodysuits synonymous with the brand. This collection brought a theatrical spin to PFW with the fluid chiffon garments being swept by a windtunnel, adding ripple and billow effects that brought drama and the illusion of water to the production, overall contributing to Cadwallader’s theme of the natural world.

Valentino

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s SS24 for Valentino was everything you’d hope for in a Spring Summer runway, with flowing forms, floral detailing and a colour palette that reflected Piccioli’s theme of lightness and ease. The show was held at the great hall of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. FKA Twigs and her dancers performed to set the scene for the show. The pieces mirrored some of the architecture that you would find on a baroque ceiling, with dresses that included ornate floral motifs alike the decorative mouldings you’d see on the hall’s cornices and columns. This collection focused on celebrating the key themes of feminism such as freedom, and was a response to the recent politics surrounding women’s rights in Italy. The technique Piccioli used in his designs this season, which he coined “altorilievo”, was intended to reflect this empowerment and to create something that praised exposure and nudity but “without any cliches of sexiness”. This collection was both powerful in message and design and stood out in every sense.

Issey Miyake

Satoshi Kondo honed the zen and muted aesthetic that the legendary Issey Miyake left behind with his brand. This collection included the iconic pleats in a varied form, adding to the unconventional modes that these pieces take on and filling the runway with modern, sleek and experimental styles. The SS24 collection took on references from the brand’s SS98 collection with the cocoon-like dresses and cooler tones along with the asymmetrical draping. Kondo added a modern spin however, including a range of vibrant hued clothing that when seen together on the runway, told a story of rebirth and shedding the old to move into the new. Overall the collection brought to life Kondo’s interpretation of this new era of Issey Miyake and ‘Grasping the Formless’.

Alexander Mcqueen

Last but unquestionably not least, Sarah Burton’s final show for Alexander Mcqueen at Le Carreau du Temple. This show was a beautiful finale for Burton’s 26 year career with the fashion house, and included a range of designs inspired by female anatomy, Queen Elizabeth I, the blood red rose and Magdalena Abakanowicz. The emotional runway included pieces that reflected all of these themes such as garments with both 2D and 3D floral motifs, knitwear mirroring human anatomy, cutouts that seeked precision and embroidery illusioning blood dripping off the garments. The colour palette of black, white and red remained consistent with the gothic luxury status that Alexander Mcqueen is identified with. Burton closed the show in a powerful triumph with Naomi Campbell and had David Bowie’s “Heroes’” play as she bowed for her final time with the brand. The show being dedicated to Lee Alexander McQueen was a perfect way to encapsulate his vision as well as his wish to “always empower women”. 

What do you think? Which was your favourite show in Paris this season? Who are we missing? Tweet us and let us know @guapmag. 

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