The intense fashion week season culminates in late September in Paris, the city of romance and timeless elegance. In this review, we highlight some memorable moments and inspirations for the upcoming spring/summer season. Open your hearts and closets to feminism, carefree maximalism and ideas of a free and loved body.
Go ahead, women of influence! Christian Dior collection inspired by Catherine de’ Medici
Glory to feminism, powerful female rulers and designers! All these elements came together at the presentation of Christian Dior’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection, which kicked off Paris Fashion Week. The fashion house’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, dedicated the collection to Catherine de’ Medici, the Italian noblewoman and Queen of France from 1547-1559. Catherine was one of the first wearers of high heels (originally designed for men), an active supporter of artists and a nurturer of architecture. The Dior runway at the Tuileries Palace, featured baroque looks revived for modern times with Gothic details like architectural corsets, structured, bell-shaped skirts, lots of black and white contrasts, and luxurious jacquard weaves. Full of ruffles, lace and sharp edges, this collection tells an inspiring and conceptual story about the impact of fashion and women on world history. You can view all the images from the collection here.
Let’s relax: now anything goes with anything
Paris is an eternally romantic and stylish city. Fashion Week participants and spectators had a distinctly autumnal style, with suits reminiscent of school uniforms, heavy boots and lots of denim. The opposite of this strictness is the increasingly popular maximalist “anything goes with anything” style. The contrasts of lengths, patterns and seasons are in the overall combination and radiate charming carefree attitude. “I often say that the handbag does not need to be combined with anything. I see that in the coming years we will be able to apply this rule to the entire wardrobe as well!” comments Ingrida Jasinskė, creative director of kARTu, on the maximalism trend. The handmade handbag studio invites you not to be afraid of personalizing your images with unique details. On the streets of Paris you can see handmade knitwear, corsets (it seems we are experiencing a real revival of corsets!) and expressive handbags.
The body as a unique sculpture
As fashion and society are gradually guided by nutrition culture, the attitude towards one’s body becomes more relaxed. It is not an object worthy of starvation to fit into unrealistic gender roles, but an individual work of art! The designers who appeared at Paris Fashion Week also interpreted bodies as sculptures.
French fashion house Balmain played with silhouettes and layered fabrics for next year’s spring/summer visions. The images featured thick leather braids, floor-length sleeves, high platform sandals and fringed handbags (kARTu model „Dilgėlė“ ) that blend seamlessly into this collection! The straw used in the collection leaves a great impression: dresses reminiscent of fantasy movies with huge shoulder details, massive waves of braided skirts and rough openwork textures.
Chinese designer Uma Wang also reimagined body proportions in her nature-inspired collection. The natural color palette and earthy textures create a raw, free, and wild aesthetic. Messy edges are complemented by raffia details, such as a few strands on the neck or huge knots covering the face. The subtle color scheme of the collection reminds us that neutral tones are not necessarily boring. When you add texture to the soft looks with crumpled linen, stiff cotton, soft felt and a flat, light palette will add interest.
Memories from the last Paris Fashion Week
The KARTu team visited Paris in early March, just weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Apart from being in the midst of the fashion hustle and bustle and being inspired by new thoughts, the trip was accompanied by an uneasy sadness – in the face of the brutal war, they did not observe any concern among the people around them, neither on the streets nor at the collection presentations, as I. Jasinskė recalls. However, for professionals in the fashion industry, such events are not only entertainment, but also an important part of their work. The team attended the colorful and entertaining presentation of Ester Manas’ collection, which impressed them with the variety of patterns, brightness and sense of freedom
“The show planted the idea that fear can be fought with color, love and light. When we returned from Paris, we launched an exclusive handbag that we designed with artist Katrina Knizikevičiūte, and all the profits went to the Blue/Yellow charity. This is not an opportunity to show off, but a reminder to the stylish creative community that besides self-expression and fun events, we should not forget to give meaning to our creativity for important purposes. This trip became a constant reminder that we must not be silent,” says the creative director.
