My favourite week of fashion month is undoubtedly Paris. At work, I've been covering each week for the JulesB Stylefile and because I've not had enough time to sit down and do my own blog I've been copying them here too! So here is my Paris Fashion Week post for JulesB:
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Last week, editors, designers, models and photographers gathered in
Paris for the final instalment of
Autumn/Winter 2013 fashion month. After a busy few weeks in
New York, London and Milan,
the fashion audience eagerly awaited the shows at Paris, which are
known for being the most intricate, elegant and luxurious shows of the
month. Paris Fashion Week is home to established design houses which
originate from the city such as
Christian Dior,
Chanel and
Yves Saint Laurent, as well as being a welcome host to
British talent in the form of
Alexander McQueen,
Vivienne Westwood and
Stella McCartney.
Our buying team has just returned from their hunt for new brands around
London, Paris, Milan and New York, so we’ve been quizzing them on what
we can look forward to for the new AW13 collections; keep an eye on the
JulesB website and sign up for
updates
so you’ll be the first to know when they arrive. However, don’t forget
all our new SS13 stock is still arriving in store and online, look no
further than
JulesB Online for all your new season essentials.
Isabel Marant
Isabel
Marant is the Queen of the relaxed, pared down,
Parisian-with-a-Bohemian-edge look we all want. Her previous collections
have always involved at least five pieces which always require a
waitlist. Remember the
wedge sneakers
which sold out everywhere and had everyone hanging for months on the
waitlist? That’s the power of Isabel Marant. Effortlessly elegant with
her perfect “je-ne-sais-quoi”
Parisian charm, the
Isabel Marant design aesthetic is the epitome of Paris fashion. This
collection was no exception to the Marant appeal, despite the slightly
different aesthetic. Gone were the bohemian influences and varied colour
palettes of Spring, the AW13 Marant woman is now wearing shadowed
layers in shades of grey and navy, with highlights of white and ivory. A
beautiful array of draping, layering and luxe fabrics set the relaxed
tone of the collection perfectly, there’s certainly a number of pieces
we’d be willing to join a waitlist for! We’re also lucky enough to
reveal that we will become a stockist of the
Isabel Marant Etoile line for AW13.
Sign up for updates with JulesB to be the first to know when it arrives.
Vivienne Westwood Gold Label
As expected from Dame Viv, the Gold Label show was a
fabulous clash of eccentricity and creativity. A combination of
fashion,
art and
British quirky culture, the
Gold Label
show was thoroughly Vivienne Westwood. The makeup was just as daring as
it was in London, this time strong in a green and blue colour palette,
hinting at a nature theme. The models were pale, with big coloured eyes
and lips, reminiscent of a sickly
garden nymph. The AW13 collection showed a mix of influences, from contemporary silhouettes to nostalgic
Victorian era Britain. The sharp shoulders and decadent metallics also showed a hint of
80s power dressing,
heralding the return of feminine glamour. We love the normality of
oddities we’ve come to expect from Vivienne Westwood, while she can be
criticised for showing what appears to be a mish-mash of prints,
influences and silhouettes, she can never be criticised for being
boring, and that really is what fashion is all about. In an industry
where trends are changing before the last look has left the catwalk,
Vivienne Westwood continues to champion British design and individuality
worldwide. You can shop the
Vivienne Westwood Red Label and
Anglomania collections online and in store now.
Chanel
The venue was Le Grand Palais, Karl Lagerfeld's usual preference. The theme appeared to be the globalisation of Chanel, which was illustrated by an enormous darkened globe which rotated in the centre of the presentation room, covered in Chanel Logo Flags,
each marking the presence of a Chanel store around the world. While the
flags and lights effectively displayed the global presence of Chanel,
the land in between showed that Karl still has places to conquer and
this is the collection which will take the brand to the next level. The
globe spilled out across the floor, creating a worldly presence for the
models to stalk across. Before the show had even begun, Karl Lagerfeld
addressed the audience from under the globe and said "I’ve got my feet on the ground, but this collection is up-to-earth, not down-to-earth."
The fashion elite then eagerly waited to see what the up-to-earth
collection would look like. Of course, Karl did not disappoint. The AW13
Chanel collection may have been dark, but it was romantic, it combined
the beautiful aesthetics of Coco Chanel while twisting
in modern updates. A billowing romantic coat nodded to Coco while the
leather waders screamed Karl. The classic boucle tweeds were reminiscent
of twinsets worn by Coco herself, but the metallic thread which ran
through the fabric was thoroughly Karl. The monochrome colour palette
provided the base for the collection, accented with colour, as Karl
himself said “it’s hard to run around in pink all day.”
The combination of the classic and the modern is what makes each Chanel
collection so majestic, its refusal to follow trends makes Chanel
unique and unpredictable. The AW13 collection was full of little details
too, the fur helmet-hats which were based on Anna Wintour’s iconic bob, the drop waist pleats, the variety of fabrics and prints. The models hair was nonchalantly tucked into jackets which gave a luxe relaxed feel to the look, the makeup glimmered frostily
to set off the metallic details. Karl has once again out done himself, a
fabulously wearable collection which will no doubt be coveted worldwide
in the globalisation of Chanel.
Alexander McQueen
Presented in the gilded interior of the
Opera Comique,
the Alexander McQueen AW13 presentation was the most exclusive of
fashion week. With just fifty guests in each of the three sittings,
Sarah Burton was inspired by
ecclesiastical elegance and opulence
reminiscent of cardinal’s robes and communion purity. The collection
comprised ten pieces, presented in pairs. The first pair of models were
dressed in layers of pure white, with their waists cinched in by
solid silver belts. The models’ heads were
encased in gilded perfection;
criss-cross masks which were studded with pearls obscured their faces.
As the models paraded through the doorways, it became apparent the level
of almost
obsessive detail which had been applied to each look. Miniature
pearls
adorned every centimetre of the fabric, ruffles were perfectly placed
and finished, and the movement of the finished product was perfect. The
third and fourth looks were matched yet again, with the models wearing
black studded with pearls, again with silver waist belts. The fishnet
tights were not fishnet tights as you might know them, each intersection
was ornamented with yet more pearls, as was each knuckle on the models
hands.
Tudor style ruffs were evident in each look too,
adding to the majesty drama of the collection. The fifth and sixth
looks added even more theatricality to the presentation; more pearls
with more structure, the collection took a further twist here, with
pearls softening the
corsetry and silhouettes. Then out came the
Virgin Queen,
swathed in layers of white purity and gold embellishment, still wearing
a mask but looking heavenly and regal. The design bore an uncanny
resemblance to the wardrobe of
Queen Elizabeth I (the Virgin Queen herself), hinting again at a time period which influenced
Sarah Burton.
The design was nothing short of spectacular, the craftsmanship was
flawless, the details pristine. The show closed in a flurry of feathers
and pearl embellished organza lace, a creation which was very vaguely
wearable, even if it were only for one very extravagant event. We can't
offer you the couture creations from Sarah Burton's artistic
imagination, but we can offer you the diffusion line from Alexander
McQueen: McQ.
We have the SS13 collection in store and online now.
Balenciaga
This was 29-year-old
Alexander Wang’s debut collection for the house of
Balenciaga. He had a hard act to follow; the previous creative direction came from
Nicolas Ghesquiere, an incredibly talented designer. The brand was originally founded by the late
Cristobel Balenciaga;
the Spaniard is heralded as one of the most gifted couturiers of all
time. So needless to say, Wang could easily have felt out of his depth.
Known for his
downtown New York, laidback sportswear luxe, critics speculated that the Wang aesthetic would not match the
luxurious Balenciaga image. However, when the
AW13 collection was shown in Paris this week, the critics were silenced. Wang had grown up and produced a stunning collection of
minimalistic silhouettes and powerful tailoring. The aesthetic was controlled, chic and elegant, showing a new side to Wang which we have not previously seen. At the
JulesB office
we’re coveting the perfect little silver metal bows, which sat
perfectly atop dresses and skirts to accent the silhouettes, as well as
on the backs of bandeaus under dresses and on jackets as brooches.
Trousers were cut with high waists, tops and dresses were cut with V
necklines, skirts were finished with a new shape of peplum and
silhouettes were kept to a minimal, modern shape. All in all, the
insiders of the fashion world were unanimous in their opinions, a
stunning debut collection from Alexander Wang. You can shop the luxe T-Shirt brand
T by Alexander Wang at JulesB now.
