Daily Archives: March 11, 2011


Paris Fashion Week fall winter 2011/2012 recap

Paris Fashion Week ended on Wednesday and left fashion fans sad and happy at the same time. Sad because we have run out of runway shows to watch, and happy because we now have a glimpse of which trends from spring are continuing into fall. We also now have insight into new, up and coming trends.

New York and Milan visited past decades from the Art Deco era, the Depression era, the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. In Paris, the tone was more sedate and although designers took their inspiration from the same time periods that were shown in New York and Milan, the tone was dark and serious.

Louis Vuitton took visitors on a train ride in the 1940’s with a serious yet classic tone. The music was deliberate and the silhouettes were ladylike and tailored. Chanel sent their collection down a runway that seemed as if it had been bombed out and dressed models as if they were walking on the city streets; not showing Chanel’s collection to buyers, editors and clients.

The overall vibe of Paris Fashion Week was tailored; long hemlines, dark colors, luxurious fabrics and a return to ladylike dressing. Black was a dominant color with spots of red, burgundy, mustard, forest green and shades of grey. Winter white also made an appearance on the runway either alone or paired with black.

The shoes shown on the runway varied between high heel booties, lace ups and menswear inspired tie shoes. Paris showed a handbag collection that mirrored what was seen in Milan with a large amount of top handle satchels, shoulder bags and daytime clutches.

It should be interesting to see which styles hit city streets and which trends remain on the runway and in the archives. Will we be seeing a large amount of red? Will everyone dress in black and grey? Will worn jeans make a comeback paired with luxury aka Chanel? Will Art Deco and the Depression push the 1970’s out of 2012? It should be interesting to which trends store buyers gravitate towards, and which ones are left without any orders for fall.

To view a video of the Louis Vuitton show, please click here.

To see fifty photos from Chanel, please click here