Paris Fashion Week S/S 2017 womenswear editor's picks

The emphasis this season was on the ankles, as she cut super slashed bell-bottom trousers and long skirts with wonderful ruffles

Ellery: Kim Ellery delivered another collection packed with her special version of pared-down, sliced-up fashion. The emphasis this season was on the ankles, as she cut super slashed bell-bottom trousers and long skirts with wonderful ruffles

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

By Jack Moss

published 5 October 2016

His fil rouge this season was a delicate floral print that he wound around goddess gowns as well as on short and sassy skirts and boxy tops — **Giambattista Valli:** Giambattista Valli had his society swans in raptures yet again as the Roman-born Paris-based designer delivered another collection in honour of high-end off-duty pleasures. His *fil rouge* this season was a delicate floral print that he wound around goddess gowns as well as on short and sassy skirts and boxy tops.

**Delfina Delettrez:** Delfina Delettrez staged a surrealist exhibition for her new collection. Each little cabinet in the room featured a piece of jewellery through which a string of colored drops of liquid floated up through via invisible routes

French-born, London-based contemporary artist Camille Walala created a strikingly geometric window installation at Emporio Armani’s newly refurbished Paris boutique in Saint-Germain that stayed true to her eye for pop colours and shapes

A collection where traditional garments converse with fitted sportswear — **Esteban Cortazar:** Memories of the Miami South Beach surfer scene, a journey through India and the work of multimedia artist Isa Genzken were the starting point for Esteban Cortazar’s collection. Draped satin, graphic lines, silver sequins and washed denim came together effortlessly in a collection where traditional garments converse with fitted sportswear.

**Maison Rabih Kayrouz:** The elegant collection of Maison Rabih Kayrouz came to life in an emotional contemporary dance performance. The ballerinas from the Paris Opera Ballet glided through Kayrouz’ atelier space wearing minimalis, crisp and colourful garments that included Kayrouz’ signature caftan

**Tsatsas:** This season, Tsatsas has added a new design to their bag family. Named *Re other*, this versatile design can be reversed, which brings the two inside compartments to the outer. The strap can be worn both long and short

**Jupe by Jackie:** Created by Jackie Villevoy, the Dutch designer behind the embroideries of Rei Kawakubo’s women’s ready-to-wear line Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons, Jupe by Jackie presented a collection with both boyish characteristics and feminine shapes. The different embroideries on the garments are all done by hand and were created in collaboration with a team of artisans based in India

jewellery collection has expanded, now offering the Saturn earring in new sizes — **Charlotte Chesnais:** Charlotte Chesnais, known for her letting jewellery spiral all around the human body, presented a selection of new pieces that can be worn in multiple ways. Her fine jewellery collection has expanded, now offering the *Saturn* earring in new sizes

**Paul Andrew:** Colours of the Scandinavian coast and the Danish mid-century design movement were the source of inspiration for Paul Andrew. It shone through in basket-weave uppers and streamlined silhouettes on sculptural cedarwood block heels

**Mugler:** Designer David Koma took his audience into a sensual sculptural underwater world. Liquid-like silks and sequins showed slashes of skin while athletic looks had coral colours shining through the monochrome outer layers.

**Pallas:** At Pallas, the expert female tuxedo design duo, Daniel Pallas and Véronique Bousquet, showed beautiful suiting with an asymmetrical edge. A waistcoat that was full length only on one side, to wear as a top over trousers or a skirt, was a standout piece: glamorous and severe at the same time

Collection of asymmetric, draped garments, powerful suits and metallic bodysuit — **Vivienne Westwood:** For Spring 2017 Vivienne Westwood’s partner Andreas Kronthaler showed a mediterranean inspired eclectic collection of asymmetric, draped garments, powerful suits and metallic bodysuits. All with a hint of Westwood punk

**Yohji Yamamoto:** Tie me up, tie me down. Our favourite man of Japanese minimalism took his standard palette of deep dark black and twisted it up, off and around the body, using just the occasional pop of white and drip of blood red to accentuate his point.

**Eddie Borgo:** Eddie Borgo’s appreciation for architecture and geometric shapes shone through in a collection that was based on circles. Whether it was a new interpretation of his safety chain choker or the form of a front-facing hoop, each of Borgo’s modern designs is refined by using heritage fine jewelry techniques

**A.P.C.:** Founder of the brand Jean Touitou opened the presentation with a quote by French philosopher Gaston Bachelard: ’Simplicity is the result of a very long simplification process.’ As he believes he has done nothing but that for the past 30 years. In celebration of simplicity done well, models danced on and off stage in true A.P.C. attire

**Comme des Garçons:** The Comme des Garçons show was Rei Kawakubo at her purest. The black, red and signature polka-dotted garments became sculptural shapes in which the models’ bodies were almost invisible

Takahashi borrowed the poor boy hats and slouchy silhouettes from the 1920s to create his own brand of fashion haberdashery. .

Undercover: Jun Takahashi pulled out more than just one jazz note for his musically inflected spring collection. A part from the instruments that were literally patched over leather pants and bomber jackets, Takahashi borrowed the poor boy hats and slouchy silhouettes from the 1920s to create his own brand of fashion haberdashery. .

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

**Laurence Dacade:** Looking for a balance between femininity and masculinity Laurence Dacade presented a collection of powerful platforms and sandals featuring her signature buckles while other design sported graphic floral appliqués

Collection that revolved around a series of studies on digital data, social networks and ambition. Sunglasses that measure stress levels through an Intel-developed module, registered brain waves, heart rate and respiration — **Chalayan:** Hussein Chalayan addressed the pitfalls of modern London life in room tone, his S/S 2017 collection that revolved around a series of studies on digital data, social networks and ambition. Sunglasses that measure stress levels through an Intel-developed module, registered brain waves, heart rate and respiration – these emotions were in turn visualised and projected via a belt – ingenuous and conceptual, as is the Chalayan way.

**Delvaux:** Belgian leather goods house Delvaux is on an innovative roll and are offering more new versions of its classics than ever. To mention a few: an ivory Brilliant bag receives a psychedelic update with rainbow-coloured compartments; and a Tempête gets a Rorschach-like indigo pattern stencilled on

That were shown alongside their lasts in the Paris showroom presentation — **Pierre Hardy x Apartamento: Atelier Collection:** When Pierre Hardy and Apartamento magazine collaborate, the result cannot be other than colourful and conceptual. Cut-outs abounded on artful low and high-heeled sandals, that were shown alongside their lasts in the Paris showroom presentation

Spanish brand’s showroom

Loewe: Jonathan Anderson was one of the top shows of Paris fashion week – a tour de force that combined the Loewe’s extraordinary craftsmanship with Anderson’s wildly creative imagination. Here is one special look inside the Spanish brand’s showroom

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

The fresh news at Roger Vivier is the debut of the French brand’s Viv’ Cavas bag and a podium-heel sandal

Roger Vivier: The fresh news at Roger Vivier is the debut of the French brand’s Viv’ Cavas bag and a podium-heel sandal

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Tropical banana plants and lianes all along the chandeliers, and opened with khaki looks that were distinctly safari. — **Balmain**: Olivier Rousteing decided to spruce up the glamour for this S/S 2017 runway show at Hôtel Potocki. He arranged tropical banana plants and lianes all along the chandeliers, and opened with khaki looks that were distinctly safari

**Moynat:** The creative director at Moynat, Ramesh Nair, is more than enthusiastic about the techniques the brand employs to create its technically high-quality bags. From the Vanity bag, box-shaped and perfectly formed thanks to the use of an angle stitch, to the new Gabrielle bag, all of the leathers have a shine to them that comes simply from buffing – no added chemicals to be found here

Jackets and Chambray jumpsuits with rounded shoulders and tightly strapped in waists balanced it out — **Isabel Marant:** Zig-zagging down the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais-Royal, models with barely-there make-up showed both Isabel Marant’s girly and boyish side. Florals and frills made up a large part of the looks, but tomboyish drawstring printed jackets and Chambray jumpsuits with rounded shoulders and tightly strapped in waists balanced it out.

**Dice Kayek:** Sister duo Ece and Ayşe Ege popped-up in Paris this season with a minimal white showroom spread over two floors that exhibited their signature structured and sculpted garments. Highlighting their best pieces, in combination with jewellery encased in glass boxes, the project encapsulated the Dice Kayek vision: clean cut, bold and elegant

**Vionnet:** Goga Ashkenazi urged her team out on the runway at the finale of her Vionnet show, and clad in white atelier coats they shyly stepped forward. They surely had put a lot of hours in on the pleated, Grecian style dresses, but also proposed novel ideas such as the combination of jean Bermuda shorts with a flowing multilayered and coloured cape, and interesting use of climbing rope.

T-shirts styled with these dramatic frocks and layered peplums underlined that nonchalant feeling — **Rochas:** Pairing dreamy pleated and multi-layered dresses with a fast-paced soundtrack, Alessandro Dell’Acqua projected an insouciant vibe onto his romantic Rochas girl. Long knitted gloves, cardigans and boxy t-shirts styled with these dramatic frocks and layered peplums underlined that nonchalant feeling.

**Hermès:** Set in the grounds of the National Marine Museum, it was only fitting that Hermès presented its S/S 2017 collection artfully placed on heaps of beachy sand. Sneakers in finely woven silk were a feat in pristine handwork, as were the woven calfskin sandals. Refreshing in a ‘why did no-one think of this before’ kind of way: Hermès new Verrou Chaîne bag (pictured), a classically shaped shoulder bag with an inspired fastening feature borrowed from door locks on horses’ stables

**Atlein:** Only in his second season, Antonin Tron, the French, Antwerp-trained designer behind Atlein held a discreet but impactful private showing in Paris. Tron’s relaxed draped dresses made of different types of jersey - from jacquard to liquid - understand the female form and are borne out of a concern with comfort and movement. Atlein’s colour palette referenced the rusty red soil and bold skies of Central Africa - subtle but instantly distinctive

**Jacquemus:** Simon Porte Jacquemus often longs for his Mediterranean roots and this collection was a firm reminder of that. The silhouettes he sent down the runway for S/S 2017 were precisely cut reinterpretations of bolero costume, paneled and pleated to wild angles, without losing a classical touch of dramatic proportion.

**Y Project:** When Glenn Martens took the reins of Y/Project, he started off gender neutral. Slowly but surely, his romantic decadent side is kicking in, and you can take the tight velvet dresses, nude corsets, glitter heels and pearls as proof of that. But he threw all these elements into a surprising mix that did not feel precious at all – rather it felt like an intuitive pre-party brainwave

**Nehera:** It’s clear that Nehera takes its serene aesthetic of experimental tailoring seriously. To the sound of percussion from xylophones models wore abstracted versions of the instruments as necklaces and earrings with sliced-open beige seersucker jackets that reappeared in navy; trench coats deconstructed to the extreme, revealing open sleeves and backs; and tiered voluminous dresses that fell so heavily the seams hung askew

**Aalto:** In Espace Commines’ sunlit space, models mathematically walked the four sides of a patterned patchwork felted floor. Fluid, wide-legged suits in ruby, khaki and brown hounds tooth were an overarching idea in this show, but many other ideas passed in revue, such as leather sunhats with pearl strings and a stellar blue loose fitting trouser suit layered with a distressed and embellished oversized jean jacket

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Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*. Having previously held roles at 10, 10 Men and AnOther magazines, he joined the team in 2022. His work has a particular focus on the moments where fashion and style intersect with other creative disciplines – among them art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and profiling the industry’s leading figures and brands.