It may well be a total overstatement to say that an American presence in Paris, like there was this fashion week here, hasn’t been felt since President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower sent American troops marching up the Champs-Elysees in 1944 during the city’s liberation. But then, fashion can be all about exaggeration!
A more legitimate comparison is the famed Battle of Versailles in 1973, when Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, and Bill Blass and their French counterparts showed off, with the Americans coming out on top.
Just like the group then, the CFDA Members who showed here this week – Thom Browne, Joseph Altuzarra, Virgil Abloh, Rick Owens, Esteban Cortazar – impressed the City of Light.
Owens, who usually shows in the lower-level galleries of the Palais de Tokyo, surprised guests by unveiling his collection in the building’s exterior plaza featuring a large square fountain with individual jets that shoot water 30 feet in the air. Plastic Rick Owens rain ponchos—think Great Adventure water ride- were on each seat, becoming an instant must-have fashion collectible. Owens army is made of avant-garde goddesses in a series of white looks that veered origami and toga and pulsed with wife Michelle Lamy’s band Lavascar on the soundtrack. The show culminated with the fountains splashing water. That moment and the collection itself were breathtaking.
Virgil Abloh’s streetwear-influenced brand Off-White was unveiled at the Salle Wagram, a dark and sexy old Paris theater that dates back to Napoleon the 3rd. Abloh’s invitation featured a photo of Princess Diana in the last few days of her life, and the collection, titled Natural Woman, was a tribute of sorts to the icon with signature Princess Di – printed silk day dresses, English Rose florals, an Eighties attitude and a few tulle strapless and one-shoulder gowns that were fit for a Queen.
Joseph Altuzarra staged a homecoming, paying homage to his French upbringing by showing his collection in the Lycée Janson De Sailly, a popular public high school in the 16th arrondissement dating back to 1884. “It was actually a lot like that school but I went to school in the 7eme,” The designer told me. The lineup has a sultry-Bohemian vibe, and the designer cited Hayao Miyazaki’s animae character Princess Mononoke as his muse. It felt right at home in Paris.
Esteban Cortazar embraced a joyful fiesta spirit with his cork runway at the Salle Melpomène at Beaux-Arts,, models carrying palm tree leaves and a Salsa soundtrack. “There is a lot of love and passion at my shows,” Cortazar said backstage. The Miami native luxed-up sportswear into a “collage” based on ideas sprung from his summer travels. “Paris is home but you never know, I am open to showing again one day in New York.”
Thom Browne, who’s been showing men’s here for a while, brought his women’s collection to Paris Fashion Week for the first time. Browne’s set was the main ballroom of Hotel de Ville, which is as opulent as a French salon can be. The designer Thom–ified the space with giant mesh, planet-like spheres circling above, and wand-bearing fairies on the ground with globe-like headdresses for accessories. The anticipation was worth the delivery. Two models opened the show in white vinyl quilted dresses and passed by en pointe. In a nod to haute couture, the lineup revolved around tulle strips, which Browne brilliantly transformed into a multi-color plaid that was quintessential Thom. The angelic voice of Ariel singing Part of your World added to the show’s sense of fantasy. The finale awed: Two male models formed the legs of a giant sheer tulle unicorn which was and led by a female model. Pure magic. Leave it to Americans to cast a spell on Paris.
