Models emerged from curtains that looked like skirts, wearing clothes that had an Alice in Wonderland proportion to them: giant lacing made the clothes look like a giant had sewed them, and the over-the-top beading and embellishment made the models resemble Barbie dolls. Our full review to come, but for now, check out the photos.
Fashion is all about taking risks — but how far are you willing to go? In an ode to the upcoming season, we gathered up some of the wildest Fall looks, ranging from furry gorilla sleeves to kooky headgear, for you to weigh in on. We appreciate the creativity and artistry behind the looks, but not everything can translate from the runway to real life. While most will probably say pass, we're sure there are some celebs and fashion folk who are dying to try out some of these creative out-of-the-box designs. Peruse the slideshow, then tell us if you're willing to go with it, or if they should stay on the runway.
>> Tilda Swinton has played muse for Viktor & Rolf and Haider Ackermann — she met both, as well as Alber Elbaz, Stefano Pilati, Phoebe Philo, and Raf Simons (who designed her wardrobe for the 2010 film I Am Love) — through her close friend Jerry Stafford, the creative director of a French production company, who she works with in place of a stylist. “He’s my playmate,” she says. “It’s a game, and we have great fun with it.”
Swinton cites David Bowie and her father, Major General Sir John Swinton, as her style icons, and says of working with friends on what she wears for the red carpet: “For someone to know what you need to make you comfortable, they need to know who you are. Having them make clothes for me is like being cooked for by someone who knows what you like to eat.”
For the one-sleeve black Lanvin sheath she wore to the 2008 Oscars, for instance, she told Elbaz she wanted “to attract as little attention as possible and to feel as comfortable as if I were wearing pajamas. Little did I know that the really simple, chic dress one might have worn in Paris or Berlin would stick out like a sore thumb in Los Angeles.”
Stafford also creative directed Swinton's cover story for the August 2011 issue of W (left) — together they created a mood board for the shoot.
Fragrance commercials have long been the preserve of creative madness, and the latest (and certainly one of the most frenetic) entry to the bunch is this new spot. It's for Viktor & Rolf's Enchanted Fountain, which is basically a huge tank full of Flowerbomb that lets you refill your flacon in a department store.
I love V&R's sense of whimsy, and they're masters of promotion; they even created a travel kit for KLM that looks just like one of their dapper little bow ties and contains a branded toothbrush, lip balm, face cream, and other travel treats. Do you like their approach to branding? And if you're a Flowerbomb fan, would you top up your atomizer at this fantastical "fountain"?
If there's anything we've gathered from Paris Fashion Week, it's that Fall 2011 will be a season of ladylike glamour — and that theme is nowhere more evident than in the chic variety of handbags that went down the runways. Chanel put an updated, art-deco spin on their classic clutch, Lanvin gave us structured box clutches to covet, Jean Paul Gaultier sent out some pretty fantastic — and furry — rolling weekend bags. Ready to roll? Click through to see 45 of the most gorgeous handbags from Paris Fashion Week.
>> Hannah MacGibbon did bucket bags at Chloe and Valentino sent out delicate shoulder bags, but really, when it came right down to it, Paris designers had a one-track mind this season: clutches, clutches, and more clutches. See our favorites handbags, overwhelmingly of the clutch variety, in the slideshow — including the Dries Van Noten stunner, at left.
>> At last, the denouement: Fall 2011 Fashion Month is over and out. But before you get back to your regularly scheduled program, may we introduce our favorite shoes from Paris Fashion Week: there's lots of snakeskin, lots of black and white . . . and we couldn't forget those intricately laced Louis Vuitton boots — Kate Moss's pair apparently took four people an hour to lace up!
There was definitely no shortage of gorgeous footwear during Paris Fashion Week — we were dazzled by Alexander McQueen's sky-high, inverted platforms, Lanvin's pencil-thin stiletto heels, and the shiny, sophisticated kitten-heel loafers from Jean Paul Gaultier. It's been a whirlwind, but now it's time to say farewell to Fashion Month with 50 of our Fab-approved picks. Click through to see the gorgeous pairs, and let us know your favorites!
Viktor & Rolf runways are never short on spectacular, delivering models attached to light apparatuses one year, Harlequin romance the next. But this year, Fall '11 is a battlefield for the design duo, who delivered a collection of red-faced warriors, outfitted in fierce metallics and bold volume. Clothing that's reminiscent of armor with stiff pleats, bold shoulders, and a sharp black, red, white, and silver palette that reads like a coat of arms. It's part medieval, then totally modern in volume and proportion, begging for fearless fashion fans like Gaga to try it on.
