Paris Fashion Week is on fire with Rick Owens, Gauchere, Rabanne and Isabel Marant

On Thursday, Paris Women's Fashion Week presented another selection of interesting Fall/Winter 2024-25 collections. In particular, it featured a fascinating show by Rick Owens, the elegant and minimalist collection by Gauchere, the very energetic one by Rabanne and a hugely distinctive show by Isabel Marant.

Survivors from a distant planet, the heroines imagined by Rick Owens for the coming winter migrate as a tribe. There was something biblical about them, hunched under heavy blankets, wrapped in ultra-long hooded cloaks, their torsos wrapped in voluminous scarves. An impression enhanced by the pink leather fallen angel jacket with two wings spread on the back.

Leaving to the rhythm of the moving notes of Maurice Ravel Pavane for a deceased infant, in a synthesized version, the models seemed to have traveled from a distant past or a distant future, through deserts and arid landscapes. Owens offered these nomads a moment of respite, a reassuring pause in the “wild times we live in,” as the American designer put it in his collection notes. He received them at his home, in the familiar atmosphere of his Parisian workshop-headquarters on the Place du Palais-Bourbon, as he did in January during men's fashion week.

The collection distilled an urgent need for protection through comfortable and enveloping garments made of recycled wool, alpaca and cashmere, and silhouettes enveloped from head to toe by hoods, gloves and imposing ogive-shaped rubber boots, which in some cases were They folded like an accordion. in others it rose to the thighs. Some knit tops with matching hoods left the back completely bare.

Knitwear was ubiquitous, with high-necked jumpsuits and long mermaid dresses with overly long sleeves and trailing trains. The space travelers' jumpsuits were made of soft wool and in delicate shades, such as pale aqua green. Ponchos, tunics, hooded dresses and coats were made from wool woven and treated in various ways, carded, felted and washed.

Huge rolls of wool and soft leather, woven and wrapped around the torso and shoulders, were made into bowl-shaped blouses. Rick Owens also introduced intriguing cage-style dresses made with thick strips of sequins that wound around the body like snakes.

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Gauchere continues to articulate his geometric and minimalist vernacular with a penchant for neo-brutalist and Bauhaus construction, while adding subtle shifts in tone. A bit of finesse has made its way into Gauchere's architectural fashion, soft fabrics and more fluid shapes creating a cleverly calibrated collection caught between casual and tailored looks, masculine and feminine, structure and lightness.

“In fact, I have tried to delve deeper into the different facets and needs of women. Look for a practical and contemporary wardrobe that also reflects her multiple sensibilities,” designer Marie-Christine Statz told FashionNetwork.com. This season, she has especially worked in contrasting materials, using chunky wool, flannel, leather, nylon blends and ultra-fine sheer jersey.

The austere striped suits alternated with more daring looks, such as the finely ribbed high-necked jumpsuits with a belt at the waist, worn under long coats or oversized men's jackets, or as the long padded skirt combined with a top. transparent and the transparent flesh-colored tunic that slipped under a black leather jacket. Soft mohair and brushed wool pieces, like the captivating skirt and top set in a striking yellow-gold hue, fit into a wardrobe packed with essentials, from loose suits to generous jackets and blouses, trousers, midi skirts, knit dresses and coats.

There was a lot of leather in Gauchere's collection, both luminously shiny faux leather and softer leather used to make sleeveless tops, shirts, pants and gorgeous skirts in shades of maroon. Leather also appeared in accessories, such as clutch-shaped bags, a first for Gauchere, and as boots fitted just below the knee, reminiscent of snow flip-flops.

Statz also had fun adding a double layer to some garments, for example jackets whose fabric was spread and folded back like a scarf around the shoulders and neck. The same solution was used to lengthen the satin lapels of a tuxedo-style coat.

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The atmosphere was radically different in Rabanne, amid an explosion of different styles, motifs, materials and tones. The models charged down the catwalk to the rhythm of a frenetic disco that played the notes of Tom's DinnerSuzanne Vega's hit from 1980. The creative director, Julien Dossena, had fun creating mix & match looks for daring young girls who just want to have fun, in which the multicolored tights, whose prints in some cases enhanced with studs and sequins, They added the finishing touch to the silhouette.

The collection was made up of a series of seemingly very disparate elements that, in fact, could be easily combined, giving the possibility of infinitely assembling and disassembling new looks, putting together new compositions at will. There were small and large checks, tartan prints, houndstooth and gingham prints, leopard prints and florals, polka dots and tassels, leather and wool, wrap dresses and others made with shiny net chains.

The secret was in the art of the perfect couple. Wardrobe essentials combined naturally with bright items. Like the black and turquoise lurex houndstooth shirt paired with rust-colored velvet pants, or the herringbone men's jacket paired with an openwork metallic dress. Dossena handled the contrasts with grace and great attention to detail. Like the crystals set in the thick turtleneck of a sweater, looking like a diamond necklace.

For the evening, dresses with scarves or large gypsy shawls with tassels alternated with sleeveless silk dresses with geometric motifs over a marbled wool sweater and with transparent nightgowns decorated with rhinestones and sequins.

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The small bottle of Tabasco sauce that accompanied the invitation to Isabel Marant's show promised a lot of color. And as soon as the first notes of the show's soundtrack began to vibrate inside the large tent that, as usual, hosted the Parisian designer's show in the gardens of the Royal Palace, the promise was fulfilled. Her collection was infused with a decidedly bohemian Wild West vibe, with urban Amazons strutting down the runway dressed in leather and tassels galore. A shark tooth pendant, suede shawls with long fringes and leopard or lurex print tights added the finishing touch to his look.

“This collection is a lot like me. We had a lot of fun getting back to the roots of the label. “This is a real Isabel Marant girl, hot and spicy, with easy-to-wear clothes made with very luxurious materials,” the brand's founder and eponymous designer told FashionNetwork.com backstage.

The Marant girl's uniform included fringed boots, distressed leather pants, a cable-knit sweater and an oversized shearling jacket, for a casual, easy-to-wear and comfortable look, completed by a tasseled crossbody bag. In the shoulders. Very practical. The Marant girl's wardrobe consisted only of essential pieces that she could wear again and again. Knitted dresses, leather jackets, aviator jumpsuits and some bohemian floral dresses, the brand's emblematic garment.

Isabel Marant's palette for next winter is full of earthy tones, dark brown and khaki, with a handful of bright red ensembles. Leather was everywhere: biker jackets, shearling pants and tops, very fine distressed suede jackets with long tassels, shearling vests with pockets, snakeskin effect pants, faux fur tops and Distressed leather with gold buttons, dresses and miniskirts, and even for colorful leather sweaters.