Paris Fashion Week is underway in the city of lights, so we’re sharing details from the Fall/Winter 2020 collections of Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Rochas, and Marine Serre.
At its mainstay location in front of the Eiffel Tower, Saint Laurent’s usual flair for sex appeal was revisited this season, with a heightened focus on latex. For its latest line, Anthony Vaccarello was inspired by the 1990s—from the salons to the nocturnal places. Stuck between discipline and risk, those that are in the spotlight are clad in cashmere and latex. Skin-tight pants were paired with ladylike blouses with big bows around the neck, topped with a furry car coat with exaggerated shoulders; dresses—with plunging necklines and daring slits—were tapered at the side of the waist with an attached belt, paired with thigh-high latex boots; oversized blazers were equipped with shoulder pads and deep side pockets, seen atop a bralette up top, and paired with a flowing neck scarf; and barely-there lace bras that crisscrossed around the neck were worn as tops, paired with a high-waisted latex skirt and boots, a gold necklace that snaked around the collar bone, and a red belt to perfectly match the shade of lipstick. For FW2020, Saint Laurent’s well-manicured girls and bad boys are bringing the smoke.
Photo by Gemma and Andrew Ingalls, courtesy of Santa Monica Proper.
Lanvin’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection centers around the conversation piece in a wardrobe. The idea is elaborated on between actual conversations—between the brand’s founder Jeanne Lanvin and its Creative Director Bruno Sialelli to connect history with contemporary style. For the latest collection, Lanvin looked at the family’s many collaborations over the years—resulting in womenswear, menswear, kid’s clothing, interiors, cosmetics, and perfume—and implemented details into varying looks. Perfume from 1927 is translated into buttons; the 1949 collaboration with Louise de Vilmorin on the book L’Opera de l’Odorat inspired graphics; and lipsticks and compacts are oversized, carried as near-surreal minaudiére handbags. Colors from these cosmetics also gave inspiration to the line’s color palette—powder blue, blush pink, and feathery white. In each look, soft sensual details were carried out. High-low dresses, belted at the waist, featured waves of ruffles to the floor; long, transparent dresses made of floral embellishments were complemented with a mermaid slip underneath and a feather choker up above; and French style was epitomized in elegant coats with fur-trimmed collars.
Fall/Winter 2020 marks the last Rochas collection for Alessandro dell’Acqua. For it, the designer pulled from the house’s archives to provide the collection with some significant pieces. Past and present collide with the latest line, which reminds us that pieces can be re-worn and re-worked for years and years after they’re constructed. A throwaway wardrobe just won’t cut it. The designer’s rediscovery of some of Helene Rochas’ designs prompted an array of new styles, like a pair of bat sunglasses and some platform sandals. Deep in the archives, a fringed glitter skirt, a shirt with gold embroideries, and a brocade dress was also rediscovered. So today, the mix of old and new shines in a contemporary way, heightened by a play on masculinity and femininity. Cocooning coats are structured with XXL belts, an all-purple suit is topped with a cropped wool shirt-jacket, and large tinted shearling shopping bags and small embroidered clutches are the accessory of the moment.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent.
Marine Serre’s collections are always a surprise. Whether the designer is preparing for a virus outbreak or a full-on apocalypse, collections are full of preventative and imaginative pieces. Fall/Winter 2020 was no different, as the designer took us on a futuristic journey through clothes and accessories. Equipped with garments that will provide warmth, protection, and ease, the new collection featured looks to ward off the unwanted and lure in the desired. Sweater dresses that creeped up over the neck wrapped completely over the head, leaving just a wormhole opening for eyes; a double-breasted houndstooth suit-dress was seen paired with a matching mouth mask, complemented by a small neon pink backpack affixed to the shin; and parents and kids walked hand in hand in natural tones, with pants and tops in Marine Serre’s classic moon pattern. There was plenty of denim and faux fur, wool and leather, but none compare to the looks that kill—or those that dutifully prepare us to stay alive.
Courtesy of Lanvin.
Courtesy of Lanvin.
