Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of Thom Browne, Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of Celine, Courtesy of Miu Miu
A wonky Paris ready-to-wear season got straightened out, in the end, by a game-changing Chanel collection by Matthieu Blazy and by decent shows by Thom Browne and Michael Ryder of Celine. Miuccia Prada delivered an odd but interesting Miu Miu based on aprons and other utilitarian workwear. It’s not every day in any capital that you see the actor Richard E. Grant strolling down a runway in a black apron as if he’s about to start the family grill and serve you barbecue.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Miu MiuPhoto: Courtesy of Miu Miu
From top: Photo: Courtesy of Miu MiuPhoto: Courtesy of Miu Miu
So it was at Miu Miu on Monday, with the actress Sandra Hüller dressed in cotton twill for factory duty. Prada has long been intrigued by uniforms, all kinds. Does it seem hypocritical for a luxury brand to present the kind of ordinary clothes and accessories — smocks, floral cotton tops with ruffles at the armholes layered over a sweater, drab leather jackets, leather belts with D-rings for tools or keys — that someone working in a nearby market stall might wear? Perhaps, but fashion has a history of borrowing from the working classes. Gabrielle Chanel did it. Fashion is a curious magpie. But the apron story here was too literal, not to mention repetitive. Aprons also appeared last month in the Eckhaus Latta collection, subtly and to better effect.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Miu MiuPhoto: Courtesy of Miu Miu
From top: Photo: Courtesy of Miu MiuPhoto: Courtesy of Miu Miu
“I wanted to just play and have fun,” Browne said after his show, in the elegant former residence of Karl Lagerfeld. The first model out had on a green helmet, like a sci-fi alien’s bug-shaped head, and wore a tailored jacket and skirt with multiple dangling sleeves stiffened into pipes. Each carried a digital device — it reminded me of a doctor’s temperature reader — that flashed with the number of the look. Meanwhile, the refrain of the soundtrack occasionally murmured a kind of mmmm. It was taken from Toy Story, though I thought E.T.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Thom BrownePhoto: Courtesy of Thom Browne
From top: Photo: Courtesy of Thom BrownePhoto: Courtesy of Thom Browne
We were definitely on Browne’s planet. My other thought was that if you take off the helmets, unstuff the extreme show pieces, and whittle things down, you get some lovely, fresh-looking clothes. Some of the embellished and slightly frayed coats were terrific, but more enchanting were Browne’s neat, small jackets with pleated skirts in ultralight combinations of classic fabrics. The sheer bodysuits were embroidered with images of physiques. He also showed new sock-and-sandal boots in various spring colors.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Thom BrownePhoto: Courtesy of Thom Browne
From top: Photo: Courtesy of Thom BrownePhoto: Courtesy of Thom Browne
Though Michael Ryder presented his first Celine collection in July, he followed up on Sunday with a new group of clothes that, in a lot of ways, sharpened his vision for the brand. Ryder has quickly established a path for himself in a crowded field of designers doing classics. His have more punch and material substance; they also appeal across age and lifestyle divides. Among the best looks in the collection were elongated suit jackets (wear them as separates) and a navy blazer, shown with white cotton pants; fit-and-flare minidresses in a jaunty floral jacquard, and flattering straight-line dress in black with a flap closure in front to enhance its stature.
From left: Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of CelinePhoto: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of Celine
From top: Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of CelinePhoto: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of Celine
And he does deft things with silk scarf prints, as draped tops with a swag or to beef up the lining of a dark trench coat. Also striking, and different in the fashion sea, was a wide-belted tailored jacket in navy with blue trousers — nearly jeans but not.
From left: Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of CelinePhoto: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of Celine
From top: Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of CelinePhoto: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com / Courtesy of Celine
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen presented their (pre-fall) collection for The Row last week but just released images on Monday. As usual, they ask people not to take pictures during the show. The uncredited images are almost more interesting than the clothes, which followed their minimalist, chaste thread with a slight Japanese feel. The black-and-white photos of each outfit shot from three angles remind me of the work of the American artist Taryn Simon, who often shoots her subjects straight on, repetitively. In The Row’s case, the images feel a bit like police mug shots, and they really challenge one’s ability to understand much more than the silhouette.
Photo: Courtesy of The Row
From left: Photo: Courtesy of The RowPhoto: Courtesy of The Row
From top: Photo: Courtesy of The RowPhoto: Courtesy of The Row
