This was Rick Owens on repeat - quite literally. Although not in the sense of a lack of ideas, it was more in case you may have missed something (easy to do with his conceptual wears), so Owens sent his 40 looks around again, and again. Perhaps he thought we'd be distracted by the Eiffel Tower, shining through the Trocadéro setting's window? Suffice to say, once we got it, Owens again achieved the round of smiles he'd plastered across his audience's faces at last season's stomping dance troupe romp. And again he worked with the idea of diversity, casting women of all ages and races from the extended Owens family. As for the clothes, the designer toyed with cocoon silhouettes and more specifically the armhole, dropping sleeves so low they were almost constricting, while others such as his stamped croc sack dresses were missing them all together. The neck was also important, funnelled to the extreme on silk dresses that were finished with obi-style bows at the nape. Moving his mono-coloured layered looks in black, dove grey and plum forward, the designer's signature leather pieces were updated for winter with a pleating detailing, while the biker got an inflated, free-standing hood that Smurfed up at the back - reworking Owens' nun. Other headwear resembled a concertina, raw silk air-con pipe, while his rubber-capped, white-soled, thigh-high leather sneakers are sure to be a commercial hit. Then came new felt embroidered jackets, again with obi bows from behind, and matching shorts, before Owens emerged for his bow with a knowing grin that seemed intent on making sure we got it.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
