On International Olympic Day, Vogue World took over the final day of Paris Fashion Week menswear collections with an Olympics-themed show to celebrate 100 years of French fashion.
Singer Aya Nakamura warbled. Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid rode horses down the runway. Sports stars Venus and Serena Williams modeled on the cobbles with additional surprise appearances from pop singers Sabrina Carpenter and Katy Perry at Paris' Place Vendome.
The rare event combined athletics, French fashion and the sheer hoopla of the last century, marking 100 years since the last Games in Paris in 1924.
The event also dates back to June 23, 1894, the day the founder of the modern Olympic Games, the French nobleman Pierre de Coubertin, inaugurated the International Olympic Committee.
More than 151 models and 188 athletes participated in the parade. Combining different sports with different eras and styles, the high-octane collection show felt like a refined Broadway musical, complete with incredible clothes, as the sun set on Paris' magnificent Place Vendome.
For Vogue World's third event, following a street fair in New York in 2022 and a tribute to London's theater scene in 2023, the show coincided with the Paris Games, celebrating all things French and catwalk. The fashion designs were displayed against a backdrop of tap dancing, waiters doing pirouettes with red wine and even models holding baguettes.
Over the course of a century, each decade was accompanied by an era of design and style. The 20s were about cycling and white coats from designers like Chanel and Schiaparelli. The 1930s were Balenciaga's “athletics.” The 1940s, the era that gave the world the bikini, featured Jacquemus's “aquatics.” The 1950s brought “equestrian” styles shown through the prism of Dior's New Look that defined the decade. The 60s were the Courréges fencing look.
When choreographed “gymnastics” promoted by Givenchy emerged in the 1970s, some journalists had completely forgotten to continue taking notes, caught up in the intoxicating vision of the choreographed spectacle in the picturesque square, whose front row was filled with stars, including Pharrell Williams. , rivaled even the stars who stepped on the boards (cobblestones).
The 80s focused on martial arts and the 90s on football, with a reinterpretation of the tricolor dress of the late icon Azzedine Alaia. The applause increased when the Williams sisters appeared in the “tennis” section, Venus in a daring, figure-hugging mermaid dress and a warrior-looking Serena in a utilitarian black split dress.
The finale featured breakdancing. The atmosphere was electric and served as the unofficial start to the Paris Games, which will run from July 26 to August 11.
Under the high roof of the historic La Poste du Louvre, the most emblematic Haussmannian post office in Paris that was recently renovated, the Japanese brand Sacai presented its latest collection. Designer Chitose Abe, renowned for her “hybridization” approach, continued to merge disparate elements into singular, eye-catching pieces, making them look like one thing from the front and another from the back.
The twists were evident throughout the show. Pleats, as seen on white tuxedo shirts on the red carpet, were creatively reinvented as billowy white tubular skirts and white bohemian blouses. In darker colors, these quirky styles channeled a preppy vibe, accessorized with shiny leather loafers. In fact, the military and preppy details (Abe's signatures) were on full display in the original collection. White shirts, thick-rimmed glasses, and pinstripes checked the preppy box; while round, thick shoulders and thick capes marked the military style.
The collection also highlighted Abe's ability to blend the traditional with the modern. Denim, colorful patterns and huggable fabrics provided a welcome touch of softness against the harder-lined silhouettes.
In an age dominated by email and increased environmental awareness, the fashion industry's antiquated invitation system remains largely intact.
Season after season, gas-guzzling couriers crisscross Paris, personally delivering elaborate, often handmade, show invitations. Major fashion houses compete for the most imaginative and extravagant ideas, often hinting at the theme of the runway collection.
Pharrell Williams' invitation to his UNESCO show was a Louis Vuitton embossed Apple AirTag, reminiscent of a souvenir from the Royal Mint.
Loewe's invitation arrived in the form of a giant square pocket of colored leather, too big for a conventional mailbox. Dior Men's opted for a leather pencil case, finished with a sketch by the collection's leading artist and ceramist, Hylton Nel. In contrast, Vogue World embraced eco-friendliness with a simple QR code sent via email.
Fans went wild on social media over pop star Sabrina Carpenter's surprise performance at the fashion show. “Oh she's beautiful,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter, while another person added: “Our little 5'11 model.”
