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The grounds of the Musée Rodin are peppered with roses in full bloom.
Backstage, inside the big tent where the Dior spectacle is about to unfold, frothy romance has given way to stark elegance as arched eyebrows and dark glossy lips are painted on the models' porcelain faces.
“The photographs of Irving Penn,” makeup artist Pat McGrath says, explaining designer John Galliano's latest inspiration. Out front, Claudia Schiffer poses for the paparazzi, while Janet Jackson's handlers warn not to get too close. Inside, Liv Tyler and her kid sister take their front-row seats. The lights go down and the catwalk fantasy begins.
Dior hasn't felt this fresh in years. A sumptuous, full-skirted cream coat with a severe black patent waist cincher epitomizes the way Galliano has modernized the legacy of Dior. “I had tea with Irving Penn back in 1993,” Galliano says post-show. “We talked about his wife and favourite model, Lisa Fonssagrives. I wanted to evoke those wonderful old images of her with this collection.”
A full-skirted coat with a dramatic waist cincher epitomizes glamour at Dior. Designer John Galliano drew inspiration from the photographs of Irving Penn for the romantic spectacle for his fall runway. (Francois Guillot/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Photogallery
Galliano is getting accolades for dressing another important former model these days: Carla Bruni Sarkozy. But the first lady of France is nowhere to be seen. Pity. Galliano's magnificent gowns are drawing gasps from those with a penchant for unbridled glamour and unexpected silhouettes.
Couture's hefty price tags continue to perplex those incredulous that anybody would spend tens of thousands of dollars on one garment. But, according to the handful of designers who continue to woo clients with the ultimate sartorial fantasies, couture plays an important role in these troubled times: It provides escapism.
“I do sometimes have a hard time coming to terms with all that money that's spent on fashion, when so many in the world are struggling,” Christian Lacroix admits. “But I'm happy that fashion's true artists – those who work in the ateliers – are being supported in this way. It's like the way the Medicis took care of artists.”
Described as modern-day armour, Lacroix's collection is inspired by the insect world, particularly beetles, with their iridescent hues. A “scarab” painted dress is wrapped in an organza chrysalis, and carapace-like corsets, jackets and jewel appliqués enhance elaborately crafted ensembles.
“I know I say it every time, but this really is his best collection yet,” Texas socialite Becca Thrash says. “And I'm so lucky to have a husband who appreciates it!” California's Suzanne Saperstein laments the fact that some of these pieces really do look best on young models. “But we can still have things modified for us. And the clothes always make you feel amazing.”
At the age of 73, Giorgio Armani is out to prove that his house can whip up couture with the best of them. Claudia Cardinale is front row centre, as is a reverential Helen Mirren, elegant in a jacket and pants from the designer. “The first time I wore his clothes, the reviews about my personal style all changed,” she says. “Suddenly, people were complimenting me.”
Armani's show is about wearable elegance, with evening-ready black silk and velvet coats, and long strands of pearls dripping over black velvet trousers. His gowns riff on his classic combo of black and white.
“Armani says he has about 30 devoted couture clients worldwide, but Chanel has 250,” Karl Lagerfeld boasts – in now standard fashion – after the Chanel presentation at the Grand Palais. “Mind you, I've never even met most of these women. They send people to Paris in private jets to do their shopping for them. The world's economy may be shaky, but it doesn't affect couture.”
And there are always new recruits. Patricia Arquette, a novice in fashion's front row, is especially inspired by Lagerfeld's genius. “He's so imaginative, and kind of has a punk rock thing going on,” she says.
The synergy between music and fashion has always been strong, and the imagery at Chanel is literal this year, with a bold backdrop of mammoth organ pipes. The designer's play on tubular shapes was intriguing, with the long hollow structures grouped together for fringe-like effects, or running up and down midriffs. All of the models wear bobbed wigs, and some of their faces peer out from actual picture frames, punching up the graphic sensibility.
French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier riffed on cages – something he first explored in 1989. Playing with leather strips and stuffed satin tubing, he created mesh enclosures that encase luxurious fabrics. Other pieces in fluorescent silk give the collection a sci-fi feel. “We all have cages inside us – our skeletons,” Gaultier says. “I'm just experimenting with the idea of wearing our insides out.”
Couture's greatest challenge is holding on to established clientele, offering the kind of fare their devotees expect, while continuing to move in new directions. Valentino's successor, Alessandra Facchinetti – the only woman showing in Paris for a major house this season – is managing to do just that. This, her first couture effort, is a crowd-pleaser and has stylist Rachel Zoe anxious to tout it to her celebrity clients.
Absinthe, ecru, teal, lilac, raspberry and dark chocolate all surfaced on the colour palette, and the backs of coats and jackets featured large, heavy ruffles. The greatest joy for the designer herself was working with the same team who had worked with Valentino himself all those years. “Their support was incredible,” Facchinetti marvelled. And seeing these seasoned seamstresses – about a dozen of them, clad in their white atelier coats, proudly watching the procession as they stood behind a bank of photographers – made for one of the week's most poignant moments. These backroom veterans were witnessing the passing of the torch first-hand, and, in fashion, it doesn't get much better than that.
Jeanne Beker is the host of FashionTelevision and the editor-in-chief of FQ magazine.
