There was much lightness and transparency throughout the season’s collections, perhaps a reflection of the exceptionally hot summer (and fall). “A lot of the houses made their collections seasonally appropriate. They felt like summer. It was definitely at Dior, but I feel like I saw it all week long,” Fargo says.
At Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière presented an ultra-light collection. “The construction behind this, making things extremely light, is very complex. The engineering, the development of fabric to fight that gravity is also complex,” Ghesquière said after the show. “How do you do clothes that are almost like swimwear, like a second skin?”
Asked if the heatwave that swept across Europe this summer has changed the way he thinks about design, he replied: “It has had a strong influence. We all felt like we needed a different wardrobe, we needed to think differently. It’s almost like you have to weigh the clothes now to think they can be relevant for today and for the future.”
Romanticism was also present, whether in the bloomers at Victoria Beckham, the butterfly appliqués at Zimmermann, the eyelet lace at Chloé, or the embroidery at Cecilie Bahnsen.
The color palette was wide-ranging. “The evolution of quiet luxury continues to gain momentum, with a clear majority of solid-color looks enlivened by embellishments — pearls, embroidery and the like — and by increasingly confident color choices, ranging from softer shades like pastels and muted tones to much bolder, brighter hues,” says Elodie Abrial, sales director of Groupe Bon Marché. “Cobalt blue, primary colors and vivid hues are what I’m already seeing being embraced,” Fargo adds. “Fashion can act a little like an oasis against an uncertain world, which is possibly why there was a sense of optimism in the colors this season.”
Meanwhile, shoes are emerging as a key category, offering an entry point to luxury for customers who have been priced out of the heritage brands. But this season has seen more maximalist styles with the ability to make an outfit enter the fore.
