The apocalypse, a metaphor for the conditions of our planet, seems to have been the inspiration not only for Balenciaga but also for many other brands that have walked the runway at this Paris Fashion Week. Gloomy scenarios in a black shade and clothes that hide shapes and characters, as if fashion had mutants as guest-stars. Precisely this was the aspect that had the models who gave life to the garments of the next Autumn-Winter: black eyes, bony silhouettes and gaze into the void. The message was to give to the environmental situation around us through the clothes, to the greyness that will surround us if we continue to not respect the needs of our planet.
BALENCIAGA
Demna Gvasalia made Balenciaga Fall / Winter 2020 a protest. In fact, he brought the enormous threat of climate change to the catwalk with a unique underwater parade. The designer literally flooded the Saint-Denis film studio as a reference to the rise of ocean levels. No front row, therefore, given that the chairs were underwater, the guests seated from the third row upwards had to avoid the sketches of the models, who walked underneath a led screen with terrifying environment images. Black, the great protagonist of the garments, ousted only by some hints of burgundy and green. Favorite? Oversized coats, sporty-glam suits and soccer uniforms.
HAIDER ACKERMANN
This time it was the alien world that darkened Haider Ackermann‘s Autumn / Winter catwalk. He too, like Balenciaga, has chosen a gloomy atmosphere made up of mutant-like men who wore next season’s novelties. Eyes completely black or red, extra-large bun on the heads and colour block clothing. Among the favourite shades black, of course, grey and white on men inspired coats, but also Texan boots and cable sweaters.
SAINT LAURENT
A long row of tailored-cut garments on a curved black catwalk, androgynous models and an unmistakably contemporary aura. These were the keywords of Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello fashion show, which combined tailoring and total leather looks in a mix that seems to have dug deep into the maison’s archive. This is confirmed by an enchanting quote from the 1971 Collection du Scandale, the one that Yves Saint Laurent conceived after the scandal caused at the time by the style of Paloma Picasso, too similar to fashion during the Nazi occupation. To translate this mood, vinyl dresses and trousers, combined with colored furs and tartan tailored jackets; proposing the widest alternatives of a perfect everyday look.