Every blogger, journalist, editor or stylist will tell you the same thing: Paris is and will always be the world capital of fashion. Twice and year the city gathers the most influent fashion personalities and designers to present the collections that will eventually be adapted to be sold, and strongly inspire the high street retailers. The shows for next spring summer are now over, and once again the level of the collections was stunning, by their modernity and creativity, incredible quality level, and of course dreaming venues.
We all hate and love it and at the same time: running from one side of the city to the other, every hour, always terrified at the idea that our next show will have already started (though always getting on “fashion” time, in other words at least thirty minutes late!). Among the more than 100 shows presented this season, some made a huge impression, surprised the audience and showed a different perspective on fashion: here´s a quick look on the predominant trends and must-know designers.
Paris Fashion Week always proposes a wide range of collections, featuring the most extravagant pieces, avant-garde outfits and highly classical designs.Our week started with the Moon Young Hee´s Spring Summer 2013 collection and its unique designs: deconstructed pieces strongly inspired by androgyny, sober tones (black & white mostly) and sharp cuts. Let´s just say the contrast was striking when we arrive at the Guy Laroche show, held in the Espace Ephemere Tuileries, a sort of fashion capsule set in the middle of the Tuileries French garden twice a year.
The brand confirms its return on the fashion scene with a glamorous, elegant and feminine collection in which textures and colors were mixed on clean looks to form pure silhouettes. Nicolas Andreas Taralis proved his capacity to come up with structured designs which focused on cuts more than colors, although the shades of kaki and light blue used on oversized jackets worn with matching shorts or mono-sleeved dresses showed the designer´s research of balance. Amaya Arzuaga also showed a collection in which patterns and fabrics were the main focus: the subtle way PVC was used on sensual dresses, bringing color to a monochromic white or black piece, was stunning and revealed the incredible ability of the Spanish designer to propose contemporary and yet wearable designs.
This season was a festival of prints! Fashionistas will tell you a print radically change a look, and this is oh-so true: you could wear the same shaped T-shirt every day without anyone noticing as long as the print changes! Shiatzy Chen is one to watch if what you like are bright and colorful prints: her Spring Summer collection is full of lovely designs, all of them easy to wear and leading to a casual chic look.
Jean Charles De Castelbajac´s show made a strong impression even before the first models entered the catwalk: could you imagine a better place than the Oratoire du Louvres to present architectural pieces featuring incredibly graphic looks? The jungle inspirations of the show contrasted with the sobriety of the venue and resulted in a perfect atmosphere! Childhood is a perpetual source of inspiration for Tsumori Chisato, and once again the Westin salon got transformed into an adult day-care as the audience couldn’t resist smiling while the models strode along dressed in bright colored dresses and minimalistic skirts. 
Manish Arora´s designs seem to be made of two layers, as if his Indian background and main source of inspirations were covering his consciousness of current trends, leading to a magic moment of bright large dresses worn with snake-skin-like golden leggings and golden jewelry. On the other side of the prints scale, Sharon Wauchob preferred to propose nostalgic floral prints on sateen pants, short dresses and casual organza blouse: a Parisian form of elegance.
Some designers are color-blocking fans, and the strength of their collections lays in the fact colors is only a tool to enhance the cuts and shapes. Costume National is one of them, and the highly feminine and yet simply-cut pieces they showed would seduce any woman: the cuts were loose but still fitting elegantly the bodies, while fuchsia, red and black featured on dresses, high waist pants and sheer blouse which played with transparence and textures. Paule Ka proposed elegance inspired from the 30´s and 40´: a very classic woman´s wardrobe that fashionistas will surely mix with trendy pieces for an explosive and contrasted look.
Some more original collections were presented during this week, starting with Kenzo´s Spring Summer proposal, which followed the inspirations seen during the menswear show: jungle and tropic. The duo succeeded at mixing street style looks with refined silhouettes, on pants worn with matching jackets and trench coats that will surely be a hit in stores. Paco Rabanne chose the metallic option for his rock-and-roll / chic collection, in which a woman with a strong personality and highly sensual was showed. Hexa By Huko is surely one of the designer who best work textures and fabrics and the collection they showed confirms the talent and perfect tailor skills of this new but so promising label.
But of course, Paris is before anything a city of high elegance, refinement, cocktail parties and gallery openings. And when it comes to eveningwear, Paris Fashion Week has what it needs to drive a woman crazy. Azzaro´s private presentation was short but the least you could say is that every single piece was worthy of a fine jewel work. Crystals, glitters and sequins transformed simple dresses into princess gowns, in tones of blue, black, white and gold. Elie Saab did what he does best: splendid evening wear full of stunning detailing and lace. Just by the look on the faces of her favorite clients seated front row, you could see these Klein blue, peach, bright red, black and white straight fluid pants worn with matching shirts, and slit dresses will be a success in stores. Valentin Yudashkin proposed more eye catching pieces with golden details in every piece of his Spring Summer collection while Martin Grant and Andrew GN took their inspirations in the New York of the 50´s, with a jazz atmosphere recurrent during the show and pieces that could have been worn by Audrey Hepburn or Gracy Kelly.
And then of course there are shows that make you shiver even before the lights are off. John Galliano´s is one of them, and once again this season the label decided to stick to the brand´s DNA to propose deconstructed pieces that floated in the air, made of organza layers and worn with matching hats. For those who still had doubts, Paris is still the place to look at when it comes to high end fashion, and the world fashion capital keeps on mixing with elegance ancestral labels with up-coming designers
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