The grand finale, Paris Fashion week Fall – Winter 2023/24 concluded a hectic fashion season that felt busier than ever. Harris Reed presented a gender-fluid Nina Ricci collection, while Daniel Roseberry designed Schiaparelli’s first ready-to-wear collection. Christian Louboutin celebrated the 30th anniversary of his famous red soles, and Andreas Kronthaler honored the late Vivienne Westwood with the first collection since her passing. Coperni attempted to recreate their previous season’s viral moment, and Stella McCartney conveyed a strong message by featuring live horses on her runway. Overall, it was a fantastic display of creativity and artistry in the industry.
Below are the highlights of Paris Fall – Winter 2023/24 Fashion Week
DIOR – Effortlessly Chic
The 96-look Dior Fall–Winter collection feels lighter, more simplistic, and less dramatic compared to its preceding Fall-Winter counterparts. The collection features crumpled suits, pleated skirts, and party dresses, and stays true to Dior’s signature silhouettes. The black garments with their crinkled fabrics infuse a refreshing airiness to the lineup, creating an illusion of models floating down the runway. This effect is further enhanced by pleated skirts and dresses adorned with brushstroke prints. For decades, the stereotypical French woman’s enigmatic allure and fashion choices have captivated many. Maria Grazia Chiuri encapsulates the Parisian woman’s effortlessly chic style in this collection, elevating it with a refined touch.
SAINT LAURENT – 80ties Glamrock
This season’s runways showcase a recurring theme of practicality through stylish workplace staples, a prominent feature of Saint Laurent’s Fall-Winter 2023 collection. The renowned fashion house, celebrated for innovations such as the Mondrian Shift, Le Smoking, and the see-through dress, upholds its legacy of empowering women through clothing. With sharp tailoring, bold blazers featuring dramatic epaulets, and form-fitting pencil skirts creative Director Anthony Vaccarello’s collection emphasizes top-heavy designs. Several models sport large scarves draped over their structured shoulders for textural contrast. The collection echoes the glam rock aesthetic of the 1980s through its lavish use of leather, silk, and velvet.
HERMES – Comfort & Elegance
The Hermes Fall-Winter 2023/24 collection flawlessly captures the essence of the season with its rich winter tones, deep reds, copper browns, amourette brown, brass-yellow, and rose gold. Drawing inspiration from nature, the autumnal hues come alive in designs that offer comfort and elegance during colder months. The versatile garments can be effortlessly mixed and matched for any winter occasion. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski skillfully blends the Hermes tradition with modern sensibilities in this innovative collection. An everyday wearable opulent collection.
LOUIS VUITTON – The Embodiment of French Fashion
The collection serves as a time capsule, capturing and blending the effortlessly chic style of iconic French women from past to present, elevating it, and redefining it with a contemporary touch. It not only alluded to the essence of French Fashion but embodied it. Traditional styles featured long, skinny belts knotted at the end, extending beyond the knee, while comfortable overcoats and blazers paired with floor-grazing trousers. Nicolas Ghesquière adeptly examines the elements that characterize the quintessential French style. This collection was more accessible and casual than usual without compromising the fashion house’s signature high-fashion touches.
CHANEL – Quintessential Frenchness
Coco Chanel’s favorite flower, the camellia, took center stage in the Chanel Fall-Winter 2023/24 collection. The runway showcased a large white camellia as a symbolic backdrop, while the ready-to-wear garments featured lighthearted details, with the camellia being the focal point. Flowers adorned coats, dresses, and white lace tights, while camellias served as corsages on garments, creating a polka dot effect. While retaining the brand’s DNA, the collection exuded modern authenticity and quintessential Frenchness, adding a quirky twist to Chanel’s signature feminine aesthetic. True to Chanel’s philosophy, the collection was entirely wearable and embodied the Parisian style. (drawing comparisons to Nicolas Ghesquière’s collection for Vuitton.)
CHLOE – Clothing over costume
For the Chloe Fall/Winter 2023/24 collection, Gabriela Hearst drew inspiration from Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi. The collection featured an abundance of shearling and smooth leather dresses, trousers, and skirts. Fine-gauge lacey knits, gauzy minimalist-boho dresses, and capes graced the runway. Vertical strips of leather in yellow, black, and white, as well as harlequin patterns, subtly alluded to the Middle Ages toward the end of the show. Overall, the collection made a statement favoring clothing over costume and good practice over bad for the upcoming season.
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – Dark explosive imagination
The Alexander McQueen Fall-Winter 2023/24 collection showcases a unique and captivating blend of dark, dramatic gothic romance. Eveningwear dazzles with flaming crimson and ethereal silver hues. A shredded-hem black bugle-beaded dress evokes memories of Alexander McQueen’s ruby red Joan of Arc dress, while asymmetric frills and patterns resemble enormous orchids. Naomi Campbell, in a classic black dress with a scalloped neckline bustier and a single statement earring, spearheads a procession of flawless black suits, white shirts, black ties, and pinstripes fashioned into jackets and sculpted strapless dresses. Sharp tailoring is displayed for both women and men, encapsulating a darkly explosive imagination. Sarah Burton never fails to impress. Her expertise in translating the McQueen legacy with poise and reverence is awe-inspiring.
AKRIS – Think Pattie Boyd, Biba Boutique & Studio 54
Akris unveiled its Fall Winter 2023 Collection, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand. Creative director Albert Kriemler pays tribute to women and their rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and the pursuit of happiness in this collection. Drawing inspiration from the mood of the 1970s, a time when the feminist movement thrived, the collection’s aesthetic echoes the style of fashion icon Pattie Boyd, ex-wife of Eric Clapton and George Harrison, and an “It Girl” of the era. Metallic gold dresses and sparkly sequined suits represent Disco elements. Retro colors and prints are evident throughout the collection, including florals that adorn flowing chiffon gowns paired with shearling gilets. The collection is complemented by pieces in more traditional materials, such as double-faced plaid pantsuits. This well-rounded collection may evoke nostalgia for those who frequented the renowned Biba Boutique in London during the 70s.
ISABEL MARANT – Cozy, sexy, easygoing, sophisticated.
Isabel Marant’s collections can be best described by the theme of her latest Fall-Winter ’23 collection: “Desire and Disorder.” It’s fascinating how she combines cozy yet sexy, easygoing yet sophisticated. Marant has perfected this fusion of comfort, sensuality, and desire. The collection features an abundance of leather, boyish sweaters, 80s cocoon coats, and boots with conical heels. Slinky dresses like a smooth leather dress with zipper details paired with footless tights, as well as crystal-embellished mini dresses. Additionally, a new style of jeans with a contrast yoke and straight, yet slouchy legs that looked amazing. Marant’s collections never disappoint, as the designer consistently produces designs that stay true to her brand’s identity while remaining unique and on-trend. Each collection exudes that quintessential Isabel Marant energy—an effervescent, feel-good vibe that captures the effortless chic of a French girl styled with an ‘I just threw this on’ attitude.
Most talked about shows
STELLA McCARTNEY – Wild Horses
In her Fall-Winter ’23 runway presentation, Stella McCartney, an outspoken animal rights activist, surprised everyone with her unconventional presentation. Under Jean-Francois Pignon’s (the horse whisperer) guidance, seven wild horses entered the indoor Manège at de l’École Militaire. The horses playfully trotted alongside the models. McCartney had a poignant reason for including horses on the runway: to emphasize cruelty-free designs and to demonstrate that fashion can be ethical and luxurious without harming animals. The unique display of wild animals – living, breathing, and interacting during a fashion show – provided a memorable message and was undoubtedly a highlight of Paris Fashion Week.
“There is so much leather, fur, and feathers on the runway, especially during winter,” McCartney told the Associated Press. “I wanted to show that fashion can be luxurious without killing anything.”
Stella McCartney’s latest collection showcases a captivating fusion of Y2K and preppy-equestrian styles. Featuring horse prints, graphics, and equestrian themes throughout, the collection also highlights McCartney’s affinity for chains – reminiscent of her Spring-Summer 2000 collection for Chloe and the popular Falabella bag. Classic silhouettes like two-piece suits and midi skirts are emphasized, with thigh-high boots paired with mini dresses. Oversized blazers and coats don checks inspired by horse blankets, while a neutral color palette is intermittently punctuated by bold orangey-red hues for added vibrancy.
Coperni – Robodogs joins Models on the runway
For the finale of Coperni’s September 2022 runway show, technicians created a cloth dress that was sprayed onto Bella Hadid, causing a flurry of activity on social media. The response varied from praise to criticism, generating millions of views. Determined to outdo themselves from last season, Coperni needed to come up with something equally impressive. With AI being such a popular topic at the moment, having robots join models on the runway seemed like a brilliant idea to captivate the audience. Though the concept garnered thousands of likes and shares, it didn’t nearly generate the same level of coverage as the previous season.
Balenciaga- A reset
Balenciaga shows are always highly anticipated due to creative director Demna Gvasalia’s spectacular sets, viral moments, and apocalyptic notions. However, this season the anticipation was for different reasons. It is the design house’s first runway exhibition since their 2022 advertising campaign, which angered the world by picturing children grasping BDSM-inspired products. The brand has been relatively silent since, despite many high-profile apologies. Balenciaga’s Fall/Winter 2023 show was modest. The runway was basic, and no celebrities were in the first row. Black, well-tailored garments dominated the collection. Balenciaga logos were absent. The entire collection conveyed “remorse.” Refocusing on fashion, the brand resets. Demna skipped the designers’ applause at the show’s finish. The brand’s re-acceptance by the fashion world remains to be seen.
KEY TRENDS
The most stand-out trend that fall-winter 2023 will forever be known for is bold shoulders, particularly Blazers. Saint Laurent popularized this trend in the 1980s, and it has resurfaced as a prominent feature of the St. Laurent collection this season. Pick a coat: trench coats, maxi coats, faux fur coats, and oversized coats seen all over the runways. Florals and floral details were a refreshing trend at Balenciaga, Akris, Chanel, and Dior. Black dominated, but neutral beiges comprise a big part of the coming winter season collections, and pastels are seen in brands like Victoria Beckham, Loewe, and Valentino collections. Sharp tailoring was a recurring theme, but this season’s emphasis was on the attempt to define and capture the chic French Woman’s dress style. She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody… did they succeed in their efforts? We will have to wait for the fall leaves to turn brown in Paris to judge.
THE BUZZ
Given that Paris is still widely regarded as the global fashion center, it should come as no surprise that A-listers & brand ambassadors from all over the globe flock to the city to attend shows and immerse themselves in the vibrant fashion party scene.
Here is who was spotted:
Leonardo DiCaprio enjoyed a night out at the popular restaurant and club, Le Piaf, during Paris Fashion Week with models Maya Jama and Rose Bertram. According to The Sun, DiCaprio and Jama have been hanging out often, sparking rumors of romance. The 48-year-old “Revenant” Oscar winner was also seen having dinner with model Gigi Hadid in Milan the week before. Although romance rumors between Hadid and DiCaprio have been swirling for a while, they both deny any romantic involvement. Rose Bertram was photographed arriving with a friend at the Hotel and Restaurant. Costes, a celebrity hot spot during fashion week, where DiCaprio was staying. Close friend, actor Jared Leto, who also stayed at Hotel Costes, was seen having dinners and parties with groups of friends at the hotel’s famous restaurant. Leto, known for his eccentric style, made a statement with his outfits as he attended shows such as Vivienne Westwood and Givenchy.
Big names like Gal Gadot, Elle Macpherson, Charlize Theron, and Blackpink’s Jisoo were spotted in the front row of Dior’s show this season.
At Saint Laurent, long black coats appeared to be the operative memo. Dua Lipa and Charlotte Gainsbourg sported hooded, floor-length leather coats. Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde was also decked out in a greatcoat-redefining ensemble that reached well below the ankles.
Musicians Avril Lavigne and Tyga were seen holding hands and exchanging kisses at the Mugler x Hunter Schafer party. Neither party’s representatives commented on the rumors of a relationship between them. Among the celebrity guest attending the party was Georgia May Jagger.
Paris, there’s always something unexpected happening, especially when you add fashion into the mix. It’s impossible to be bored.
