Fashion at a crossroads – Style – Kommersant

Paris Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2023 was held as in pre-pandemic times. Now that we have returned to the previous pace, the question for designers is: what exactly should be the fashion of the future? The collections of the new season are an attempt to find new meanings in a world that has changed again.

Pain points: why hype (finally) draws criticism

This week there has been a serious debate in the industry about the role of hype and stars in fashion. Do you remember anything else from the collection of the Parisian duo Coperni besides the white dress with a slit created right on Bella Khalid?

And what aroused more interest in the ninth collection of Kanye West YZYSZN9 – his clothes or the controversy around the not very successful provocative White Lives Matter slogan (a reference to the American Black Lives Matter movement against police violence against the colored population of the United States)? Kanye wanted to sarcastically suggest that in the future the balance of power would be reversed and the white population would need to be protected – a statement that turned into a PR disaster and public outrage. It’s okay to have celebrities become an addition, a nice bonus to the great clothes at the show, but if they draw all the attention to themselves, the strategy no longer works.

Balenciaga’s The Mud Show caused a big controversy this season. Outside Paris, at the exposition center in Villepinte, models walked in sweatshirts, leather jackets and couture mesh dresses through magical mud that did not smell like mud. Are things lost behind this? And is it important at all what kind of images such a production has? After the couture triumph, more was expected from Demna. Therefore, his notes about how he got the “labels” that are hung on him, and that he is no longer going to give any clues to the interpretation of the collections, caused ambiguous feelings among the professionals.

At the same time, Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent, on the contrary, decided to focus on the main thing. Of course, he did not give up the scenery, but decided to do without frills. The main focus of the collection is on elegant floor-length monochrome dresses inspired by the great dancer Martha Graham and so tight that they seem to move in sync with their owners.

Back to the past

Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri asked French artist Eva Jospin to make her a grotto out of cardboard, just like in the Florentine Baroque palazzos. The collection itself, with crinoline dresses, an abundance of black lace and jackets, was inspired by Catherine de Medici and her vision of fashion.

Rick Owens has also looked into the future of fashion in the past and named his show Edfu after a temple on the west bank of the Nile he visited earlier in the year. His moodboard this season features silent film icon Ted Bar as Cleopatra and good luck symbols (the scarab beetle). Off-the-shoulder jackets and tops in shades of beige and sand were paired with puffy eco-couture princess dresses made from recycled plastic found in the oceans and rendered in hot pink.

flower power

Dries Van Noten has played with colors this season, but in his own way. The Belgian designer thought for a long time whether it was necessary to return to live shows at all, but nevertheless arranged a fashion show in the parking lot near the Montparnasse station. The show began in complete silence with couture looks unusual for the designer, where all the attention was on the game with shape and cut. And then, to the piercing sounds of the new electric version of the hit “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, the Belgian maestro added colors and showed a whole floral arrangement on skirts, jackets, trousers and coats.

Oh brave new world

Also this season, the Japanese returned to Paris in full force – both editors with buyers and brands: Comme des Garons, Undercover, Beautiful People, Issey Miyake, Anrealage, Mame Kurogouchi and Yohji Yamamoto. Their vision of fashion as something more gave a certain breath of hope and brought philosophical notes for the week. Whether it’s Yoji models slowly walking down the catwalk to melodies that refer to meditation. Or a dance homage from the Issey Miyake team to Issey Miyake, the founder of the house who passed away this year. Or a poetic theatrical performance by Beautiful People, in which ordinary items of a military wardrobe – a bomber jacket, a parka, trousers with pockets or a parachute – are magically transformed into romantic images for every day.

And Miuccia Prada decided to take a pragmatic look at fashion and invited the audience of the Miu Miu show to become part of an art installation by one of China’s most promising artists, Shuang Li. At this time, the models walked in practical bows, made up of a comfortable base: leather blazers and vests, belts with buckles and miniskirts with pockets.

American Tom Brown presented his version of Cinderella at the Paris Opera Garnier (model Bella Hadid as the evil punk sister, and actress Gwendolyn Christie as the fairy godmother), where nothing is impossible and magic shoes are sure to suit everyone: both girls and boys.

Lidia Ageeva