The Best of Paris Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2015

Paris brought the main autumn winter fashion weeks to a spectacular end with celebrity packed front rows and cutting edge designs as many of the big guns showed in the French Capital. But the doyenne of the fashion weeks also showed it was capable of laughing at itself as Derek Zoolander and Hansel MacDonald (aka Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson) strutted their stuff on the Valentino catwalk while in Europe filming Zoolander 2. See their interview with Anna Wintour at the bottom of the article.

Beside the clothing, boots could be seen on almost all the runways – from shoe and ankle boots right up to mid-thigh length – so ensure your boot collection is up to scratch for next winter. Over all, hair was styled naturally, worn long or slicked up in a pony tail. Make-up was also natural with nude lips and a smokey eye.

There were so many fabulous shows, we had a hard time choosing the best but here are our top 15 shows from Paris. We can’t wait to see the impact of some of these in the High Street!

Roland Mouret

Pleats, panels and colourful shades brightened up the runway at Roland Mouret. Mustard, aubergine, baby blue and pillar box red joined the black whites and greys and the above the knee skirts and asymmetrical necklines were very flattering.

Balmain

Olivier Rousteing wowed the crowd with bright colours and an early 80s feel with boardroom sized shoulder pads and Tron-like circuit patterns as well as glitzy metallics that would have look right at home in the yuppie clubs of the time.

Lanvin

Alber Elbaz was heavily influenced by his hometown of Casablanca for this collection, desert colours, loose flowing fabrics and utility belting reminiscent of the Bedouin horsemen.

Christian Dior

Raf Simon rebels against the feminine, light past of Dior to something more gritty and edgy. Latex boots mixed with light chiffon, graphic patterns and a mixture of textures gives the collection real attitude.

Isabel Marant

High waists, sharp shoulder pads and waist cinching belts seemed to evoke the style of majestic matador or flamenco dancer. While the palette was monochrome the variety of fabrics and patterns created interest.

Balenciaga

Alexander Wang created an industrial meets office girl vibe with work-style boots juxtapositioned with pencil skirts and dresses. Splashes of colour were added with reds, pinks and oranges.

Mugler

David Koma putting his stamp on Mugler with a collection that was a progression of Koma’s recent collections for his own label. However Koma’s own sense of structure does marry with that of the history that Thierry Mugler created. It is certainly a collection that we are sure to see on celebrities including Koma fans Cheryl Cole, Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian.

Elie Saab

It is easy to see why celebrities find Elie Saab so wearable. From red carpet worthy gowns to coordinated ‘off-duty’ outfits with the cut and feel of military precision, his ready-to-wear collection provided the perfect palette to take you from day to evening.

Nina Ricci

Carven’s Guillaume Henry has made his debut at Nina Ricci with a lovely soft show, both in palette, cut and fabric. Feathers, chunky knits and fringing provided movement and texture in this ladylike collection.

Chloé

“I really wanted to capture something confident, but still with a carefree spirit,”creative director Clare Waight Keller explained. “I can only describe the Chloé girl as a ‘gentlewoman,’ wearing guardsmen’s coats and gentlemen’s clothing, but still with the flou and lingerie lace. There is something clean and narrow about her silhouette, but still with a fluidity to it.” We loved her lacy slip inspired dresses and skirts.

John Galliano

While the man himself has returned to designing at Maison Martin Margiela, Bill Gaytten is continuing Galliano’s self-named label but having worked under the man at Dior before taking over as creative director in 2011. Column dresses, scalloped edging and Pop Art colours were all evident on the runway.

Givenchy

Riccardo Tisci went for Victorian decadence for autumn/winter 2015 – artistic prints, flowing chiffon and heavy velvets, intricate embroidery and fur and dark gothic colours. The make-up and head jewellery were inspired by Chola girls, Tisci said.

Stella McCartney

From simple lines and biased cut coats and tops to ethical faux furs and chunky knit dresses this was a collection with the wearer in mind and the reason, amongst many others, that Stella McCartney remains so popular.

Saint Laurent

Hedi Slimane gave us rebels with a fashion cause for Saint Laurent this season. Fun, funky and with plenty of attitude, it captured the rock ‘n’ roll era of the 80s with tutu-style skirts mixed with ankle boots and ripped tights.

Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld ensured that there was enough quilting, wool tweed, 20s styling and masculine colours for this to be recognisably Chanel. Light chiffons, Peter Pan collars and puffy sleeves gave it an inimitable Lagerfeld stamp.

Alexander McQueen

Powder pink, accents of black, pure red and deep wine came from, as designer Sarah Burton said “the spirit of the rose”. This collection shows why the Duchess of Cambridge is so fond of the label and it’s sophisticated flattering lines.

Zahair Murad

Murad’s penchant for Disney fairytales was evident in this collection. The dresses were perfect for everyone from Snow White and an evil stepmother to more modern day princesses.

Valentino

It was a cultured, sophisticated collection from Valentino – long lean lines, monochromatic and refined. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli also showed their mischievous sense  of humour  with ‘male models’ Derek Zoolander and Hansel closing the show!