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12 International Herald Tribune

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 Fashion

VIKTOR & ROLF MARTIN MARGIELA RICK OWENS

Christopher Moore/Karl Prouse

Parisian designers bend

tailoring to the female form
By Jessica Michault signer sent out a collection of romantic the music of a live orchestra as a couple

T
and beautifully crafted men’s evening danced over the lacquered hardwood
he go-go glitz and glamour of attire that was reworked to show off floor to open the show.
Milan Fashion Week seemed more feminine sensibilities. Flaxen- But what about the clothes? Well, the
like a distant memory after haired models — their locks looking duo revisited familiar territory by at-
only two days of the Paris col- like panels of rococo molding — took tempting to meld masculine suiting to
lections. Here in the City of Light, de- to the runway in fitted morning coats the feminine form. They did it by using
signers are more intrigued by decon- of flower or paisley prints with thick copious amounts of swaying fringe,
structing romantic notions of oversized collars that undulated over cookie cutter star-pattered hems on fit-
vulnerability and strength and re-ex- the body. ted suit jackets and trompe l’oeil nude
amining new ways to bend masculine There also were tan tuxedo suits that body suits that were embellished with
tailoring to the female form. were softened up with white lace trim- chunky crystal tuxedo bibs or men’s
For Rei Kawakubo, one word ex- ming on the collar and cuffs. And men’s shirts slinking off the shoulder.
plained it all: cubism. As she repeated crisp white dinner shirts, whether Sometimes it worked — for example,
the term matter-of-factly to all the well- pleated or ruffled, were transformed when the fringe was used judiciously at
wishers who came backstage to con- into long shirt dresses in floral lace strategic locations like the cuff of a
gratulate her on her strong with oversized cummer- trouser leg or to form a bow at the neck.
JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARCONS
Comme des Garçons show, The bunds worn as belts. And a cluster of stars climbing up the
the message behind the col- Collections face But why such an about hem of a short trenchcoat over a tutu them and should be snapped up by stars on the hip of a blue dress all sug-
lection finally started to for a designer who only skirt also had a certain charm. Owens’s fans. gested fragile future.
cr ystallize.
Models with their faces
painted white and their hair
slicked back into what
Paris last season sent out an an-
archy-inspired show? Ac-
cording to Watanabe, the
two collections are not so
But as a troop of dancing men in tails
and shiny shoes took a final turn on the
dance floor in front of a billowing ad-
vertisement for the designers’ new fra-
Martin Margiela’s show had a patri-
otic American vibe about it. His red,
white and blue collection of finely ex-
ecuted suits, star-spangled dresses and
For Christophe Decarnin, the new
Balmain woman is not a lady who
lunches. In fact, she might not get out of
bed until the cocktail hour for the lack
looked like matted wigs were trans- dissimilar. ‘‘They have the same spirit grance ‘‘Antidote,’’ it was hard not to cape tops were wholly original, subtly of daywear seen on the runway.
formed into store mannequins on but just turned inside out,’’ says the de- feel as if the collection was little more subversive but, most importantly, Instead, this was a collection for
which pieces of suit fabric were trans- signer. than one long commercial. wea rable. women with romantic souls and a re-
parently linked by nude tulle, giving And truth be told — after the first Rick Owens is a man who loves his The reference to the power-mad bellious rock ’n’ roll hearts. The abun-
the impression of outfits waiting to be visceral reaction to the curvy clothing layers and after last season’s obsession 1980s could not be denied as each outfit dance of pleated baby doll dresses on
sewn together. started dissipate, the collection’s with the concept, it was interesting to was worn with a nude body suit that the catwalk skimmed the edge of cloy-
The pairing of voluminous, layered harder edges began to come into focus. see how the designer moved the trend had thick, overly exaggerated shoulder ing. But the sugar sweetness of the col-
tulle skirts with sectional suit jackets The choice of tough and durable fab- forward into the summer months. padding. But instead of hiding the suits lection was tempered by the weight of
that felt as if the only thing holding rics like denim and thick cotton instead Working with his trademark muted under the clothes, Margiela used them all things metallic.
them together was an oversized belt of silk or satin to build the suits, the tones of stone, inky black, dove gray as outerwear, making the outfits seem There were the metallic fabrics used
struck a fine balance between the fra- plastic coating on lapels and down the and gold, Owens sent out a collection to be at once more exposed and more to create puffy collars that snaked
gility and simplicity of feminine tulle sides of tuxedo pants and the thick, whose focus seemed to be as much protective, like a thick carapace to shel- around the neck, hemlines adorned
with power of a masculine suit. oversized shoes all pointed to a rock about exposure as it was about protec- ter the wearer against the world. with metal grommets and single
There were even moments when hard core underneath the clothing’s tion. After a faulty start with a study in There were, of course, those quirky strands of silver metal used for
ruffled edging burst through a suit’s soft exterior. volume, where bulky asymmetrical touches we have come to expect from shoulder straps.
seams to add another level of feminin- Whatever you may think about the de- skirts looked like haphazardly folded the designer: tribal-looking necklaces If that was not enough iron for his
ity into the mix. signer duo Viktor & Rolf there is no tablecloths, Owens quickly moved into made out of recycled aviator sunglasses clients’ diet, Decarnin offered up iri-
The other dominant note of the show denying they know how to put on a great his familiar comfort zone. or fish net dresses that gave the impres- descent and acid yellow metal mesh
was the use of the Japanese flag on ev- show. This time the audience was The designer matched floor-skim- sion they were pulled directly from a dresses that were the perfect nightclub
erything from message T-shirts to handed a glass of Champagne, invited to ming sheer skirts that left nothing to fishing boat. fodder. But pant lovers don’t despair;
loose hanging skirts. But even here sit on red velvet-covered chairs and soak the imagination with tops that But it was a more nuanced message they also had their place in on the run-
Kawakubo’s subversive instinct came up the 1940s ballroom ambiance. But the sheltered the torso. Long-sleeve of vulnerability that permeated the way as cropped dhotis in shimmering
into play as she placed the pure red set dressing did not stop there. Out from blouses that used multiple layers of show. The missing cloth carved out of a slouchy leather.
circle of the Rising Sun around the behind a thick black curtain came the light fabrics, collapsed origami silk long skirt to expose a naked leg, the International Herald Tribune
sides of the garments, giving even this musical stylings of a handsome crooner bows tied at the neck and a leather red- and white-striped dress that
unmistakable symbol a cubist slant. singing old standards like ‘‘It’s Only a breastplate knotted taunt at the circled into a bull’s-eye at a capped Jessica Michault is on the staff of the
At the Junya Watanabe show, the de- Paper Moon’’ and ‘‘Over the Rainbow’’ to shoulders all had a quiet poetry about sleeve or the limp flaps of white fabric International Herald Tribune. BALMAIN