Wednesday morning at PFW: Courrèges and The Row

Paris on Wednesday morning witnessed two excellent collections with sharply contrasting styles: the body-con sheen of Courrèges and the quieter luxury of The Row.

Courrèges: elegant cycles

No show in Paris these days packs quite the punch as Courrèges, for which designer Nicolas Di Felice presented a sinuous, sexy and unexpected collection on a rainy Wednesday morning.

Cut with rigor, without embroidery or useless embellishments, this was the most concise and defined sculptural fashion in existence. Like its invitation (a silver bracelet coiled elliptically on itself), the garments were subtle, each shape evolving into the next look.

The collection opened with a large series of hooded, collared cocoon coats with broad shoulders and front pockets, which were paired with leggings and ankle-length, blindered high heels. Trousers were strict, with elegant bell bottoms, although their waistbands stuck out a couple of inches from the back. They were paired with rectangular micro bras.

The dresses were sleek but fitted; again, with the waistline set away from the spine and topped with dangling squares that added movement and energy. The cast sported slicked-back hair and eyes covered with bug-shaped sunglasses. Empowered, elegant and energetic, it felt like the models loved their looks in a show that culminated in some sparkling gowns and short, flowing black dresses.

“I am interested in the notion of cycles, both in history and in design. That was the idea behind the invitation. That there is no beginning or end, no inside or outside,” he explained.

Before pointing to a rare 1960s photograph of an early André Courrèges show, showing a grande dame in an elongated satin cocoon coat, light-years away from the traditional vision of the founder as a pop-futurist absolutist.

Somewhat unwisely, the show climaxed with an overly industrial soundtrack, which drowned out any applause, while pearls clattered in the central circle, like a raging sea.

The work was staged at the Carreau du Temple market in the late 19th century, in a completely white box with thousands of silver pearls in the centre rotating around a jet-black sieve 10 metres in diameter, imitating the sound and playing with the shapes of the collection.

“It comes in waves,” Di Felice added, holding a colander in her hand and nodding toward her mood board and an image of artist Leila Clark cutting shapes out of paper for hours on end.

The Row: Is this as quiet as it gets?

In the world of quiet luxury, this is about as serene as it gets.

A day after opening their first store in Paris, sisters Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen presented their final show on The Row to a select audience inside a carved stone mansion on the rue des Capucines.

As in a convent of the Capuchin Order, a cloistered community dedicated to a life of contemplation, access to this exhibition was extremely strict, with the only agreement being that no guest would post images of the exhibition on social media until the house published the official photos.

There was nothing simple about the materials, though: an oversized gray T-shirt with a single pocket, except it was made of the creamiest cashmere; a double-layered poncho that looked so soft you begged to rest your head on it.

Camisoles with scalloped necklines; floaty, double-layered skirts shaped like bell peppers and deep pockets; a crinkled wool sheath dress that could have been worn by a modern Joan of Arc. It was all deceptively simple, but exuded a quiet, Row-girl self-confidence. Oversized but never enveloping.

In a monochrome season, this was the strictest palette of any major show so far: black, soft blues, putty grey and ecru.

A fitting celebration of their new Paris store (and fifth worldwide) on rue Mont-Thabor, finished in light brown Lutetian limestone and decorated with mid-century modern furniture. Austere, almost conventual, reminiscent of the Capuchins, or Poor Clares as they are known in English.

The Row wouldn't be the first fashion house to reflect spiritual simplicity in its fashion. Think of Coco Chanel, whose headquarters are just around the corner and who was influenced by her teenage years in a French convent.

This helps explain the recent news that the Wertheimers (owners of Chanel) are part of an investment group that recently acquired a minority stake in The Row. Did we say Poor Clares? Hardly, the new partners valued The Row at $1 billion.