Paris Fashion Week opens with the IFM, Brigitte Macron and Pressiat students' show

Paris Fashion Week opened on Monday with a show by master's students at the French Fashion Institute, attended by Brigitte Macron, followed across town by a Pressiat Woke'n'Roll collection.

Surprisingly, the IFM show attracted Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of France, as well as two cabinet ministers and a host of fashion leaders to the second Masters exhibition at this university.

In the front row, Michael Burke, the powerful president of the LVMH fashion group, Sophie Brocart, CEO of Patou and LVMH's main executive mentor, the designer Alexandre Mattiussi, together with its CEO Nicolas Santi Weil.

Although the place of honor went to the First Lady, a teacher by profession and energetic advocate of fashion, who has organized three fashion dinners at the Elysée, together with her husband Emmanuel Macron, who is currently serving his second five-year term.

Its presence underlines the push by the French establishment to create a fashion school that truly rivals Central Saint Martins or FIT, following its recent reorganization.

Presented in the impressive 9,000 square meter IFM college on the banks of the Seine, the show was attended by 27 graduates of 13 nationalities. Each of the students on the Master of Fashion Design and Knitwear Design course were allowed between five and seven looks.

Three immediately stood out: the opening series by Qianhan Liu from China titled 'Lull – The Sleep Temple', which featured some remarkable fabrics that looked like malleable wood or real leaves, cut into a dense cocoon of leaves or pine wraps like large coats with huge knots for necklaces.

Next was a beautiful series by Kira Sander of Germany, which again highlighted unexpected fabrics, thick cable yarn spun to look like giant spider webs or huge rocks. Titled 'Ilaria – The Language of Stones', it featured incredibly plausible stone-knitted sweaters, skirts and boots.

Another young hopeful whose talent practically screamed “don't be stupid and let someone else hire me” was Italy's Antonio Romano, who transformed medieval armor into fantastic knitwear. Tunics, pageboy blouses and ruffled skirts combined with cyber punk boots. Every one of his looks was excellent.

The two-year study program includes long-term creative collaborations with houses such as Dior in Fashion Design and Alaïa in Knitwear Design, individual artistic guidance from designers such as Olivier Theyskens and seminars focused on heritage, sustainability or innovation with Balenciaga or Courrèges. .

Located in a space known as the Docks in the 13th district. Near Austerlitz station, IFM now has 1,300 students of 67 nationalities offering courses in design, craftsmanship and management.

Pressiat meets Woke'n'Roll

If Ron de Santis believes Florida is the place where wokeness dies, it's alive and flourishing in Paris, especially at a Pressiat show tonight.

It was pouring rain outside, but it was steamy inside the ramshackle office block on the rue de Richelieu, where Vincent Pressiat's latest play was staged. The final look was a naked figure with a huge punk mohawk and a black feather painted in the center of his torso as a cover.

At the helm was fashion royalty of a different kind: Jean-Paul Gaultier was joined by young designer Charles de Vilmorin. Enjoying a brilliant set, Clement Dezelus constructed a winter scene of snow-covered car tires at the center of which was a beautiful hologram of a classic American convertible from the 1950s.

At the beginning of the show, a lone violinist serenaded the first model in the first of several hooded Mongolian wool coats. Pressiat cuts with joy, creating outfits for nightclubs. She loves the sculptural columns of jersey and the stunning lace-front jeans made from Supima, the cashmere of cotton.

Their girls are fit and wear satin cocktail dresses with one-shoulder vamps. Their men are polished and aren't afraid to wear leather sarongs with matching ankle boots, nothing more. And if they have to wear a fur trapper hat, sunglasses and a short skirt, it's better to reveal their entire… err, butt. Well, then they will gladly do so.

It all led to a big climax with actress Julia Fox thrilled in a lace-up back screen goddess dress that looked like it was made of liquid steel, wrapped in a shearling stole. A spectacle that earned Pressiat three minutes of applause. And so, Ron warns, awakening is alive and well in France.