President Clinton should move to France.
His problems with Monica Lewinsky, not to mention the unrest in Indonesia and the apocalyptical asteroid 1997 XF11, were knocked off the front pages of French newspapers last weekend by the cancellation of a fashion show.
According to the House of Giorgio Armani, at the last minute French police pulled the plug on the Italian designer’s runway show and sit-down dinner for 1,200 guests on the Left Bank.
“This is war between the French and the Italians,” Armani told the International Herald-Tribune. “But I like war.”
Fashionistas, doubting the official French explanation of “security problems” associated with the designer’s show, are siding with Armani. French actor Christopher Lambert and designer Paco Rabanne stood outside the tent erected in the Place St. Suplice, nestled in the trendy St. Germain-des-Pres area, before riot police turned everyone away.
Armani gave the dinner to homeless in the area and, in an eerie scene, staged the runway show before row after row of empty seats. Why not? The models had been paid and the resulting video will no doubt be a collector’s item for those who go into a frenzy over fashion.
The rare enthusiasm from the Parisian audience–when not contemplating the Armani contretemps–was saved for Sonia Rykiel, who celebrated her 30th anniversary as a designer. Her show at the Bibliotheque Nationale drew thunderous applause for its tailored tweed suits and slinky black dresses. In between, Rykiel also showed checked wool suits with longish jackets and long cardigans with fur stoles. The only things short in the show were her tiny twin sets.
It will be a long autumn, with most designers showing knee-length (or even longer) dresses, duster cardigans and pantsuits with car coats that hit midthigh.
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel showed long pencil skirts that slenderize the body in his collection, staged in the future Paris headquarters of Christie’s auction house. Lagerfeld eased his Bloomsbury silhouette with cocoon-shaped coats with gentle pleating and chiffon Gatsby-esque dresses with ties down the back. Outfits were accessorized with white ankle-boots styled like spats and helmetlike cloche hats.
Despite this, “The Kaiser” avoided looking costumish or dated with his masterful tailoring and draping. He referenced–without relying on–the ’20s in such “touch me” fabrics as tweeds, gauzy mohairs and stretchy chiffons.
Rich fabrics were a major trend. Claude Montana, whose show wasn’t nearly as over-the-top as usual, eased up on his trademark leather suits. He utilized luxe fabrics in his designs, such as angora open-weave dresses with reddish wraps.
Kenzo Takado opened his show with a set resembling an Orient Express train, signaling his fascination with the Far East. Kenzo’s sumptuous brocade, damask, mohair and faux fur may not stretch fashion’s imagination, but for those who want richness without risk, he’s the man. And the woman is Vivienne Westwood, who showed clingy knits, grayish suits and satin pantsuits.
For those who want to push the limit even more this upcoming season, French fashion is moving as far away as possible from the somber gray tones shown two weeks ago in Milan and the gothic black tones shown in London three weeks ago. Issey Miyake–whose murky colors take a back seat to his fabrics–actually showed long dresses with state-of-the-art fabrics rolled, folded, tied around the body and interpreted in bold orange.
Lanvin’s new designer, Cristina Ortiz, formerly of Prada, may have hit the cobweb effect and the fuzzy fabrics a little too hard, but her navy-blue clothes for daytime were refreshing.
And Lamine Kouyate of the Xuly Bet label couldn’t work enough color into his collection. With punk-rock music blaring though Le Carrousel du Louvre, the designer showed lilac pencil skirts, hooded coats in a shiny orange plastic, blue-and-violet angora dresses and Chewbacca-patchwork tops in a rainbow of colors.
And then there are the designers who steadfastly go their own way, trends be damned. Ann Demeulemeester went along with the leather fad, but her black leather dress looked more utilitarian and functional than the biker-chic sexy clothes seen in other collections. The Belgian designer also showed skinny pants and tunic dresses wrapped in back.
Showman John Galliano’s presentation was a delightful mix of cabaret lingerie, Weimar Republic, Fellini, Visconti and couturier Paul Poiret. Underneath the deluge of corsets, feather boas, strands of pearls and sheer gloves without fingers were some exquisitely cut flapper dresses in printed velvet and layered chiffon. Galliano remains the heir-apparent of the bias-cut, dressing it all up with appliques, lace and rhinestones. Such a heady mix left the audience stumbling onto the street, drunk with delight.
