Viktor & Rolf

Ever the showmen, Viktor + Rolf stole the show at Paris fashion week this Saturday. The design duo sent out a model is multiple layers, who then removed them in order to clothe the other models.It was a concept they had already explored some 10 years ago with their famous Babushka collection, which they had decided to revisit for a/w 2010. This time round, the pieces were instantly more wearable than the crystal dresses of their first attempt. Echoing Hussein Chalayan’s infamous approach, their pieces transformed into new garments, from a dress to an Elizabethan ruff and so on.

The collection featured dark noir fabrics encrusted in crystals, lined with fur or pulled in with leather belts. There were wool suit jackets and dresses, as well as a leotard. Dresses were slinky and short, layered with big bad fur coats for added glamour. The models wore leather skull caps and sunglasses, as well as black ankle socks and sturdy heels. Leggings featured studding detail, and dresses were striped with rivets, giving the collection a tough aesthetic. But the daintiness of the dresses combined with the lightness of the fabrics ensured the collection was far from butch.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Following on from his couture collection in January, Jean Paul Gaultier’s a/w 2010 ready-to-wear collection continued the designer’s travels around the globe, modelled by girls from every continent. 

 The show opened with a scarlet kimono style dress, with an extremely high neck and flowing skirt, layered with a corset on top in signature Gaultier style. Paired with marine tights and an eccentric headpiece, and the formula was set for the show.

Everything in the collection could be sourced from ethnic clothing of some description. There were French berets and corsets, tribal embroidery on long black jackets, fur hats and African head scarves. However the predominant garments were evidently wide-legged trousers and harem pants, flowing jackets and long skirts in uniform grey and black, adding a sense of coherence and unity to the collection.

Comme des Garçons

Rei Kawakubo often likes to shock. Well, she doesn’t’ seek to please, anyway. This season she returned to a formula she had previously tried and tested with her “lumps and bumps” collection some years ago in 1997. For a/w 2010, she stitched excess pillow-type adages to coats and dresses, giving them the silhouette of an American football player. Some pieces were more extreme than others; ranging from full on duvet-style coats and massive cloud-like ensembles in white to simple shoulder-padded jackets at the other end of the spectrum. The quilted effect of the added bulky fabric gave the strange appearance of life jackets or harnesses. Despite the initial confusion at the concept, several of the coats were thoroughly wearable though, proving that as usual Kawakubo might be on to a winning formula.

Putting the focus on outerwear, the collection primarily featured coats in black, white, grey and red tartan print. Simple cropped capris, ankle socks and oxford flats detracted as little as possible from the showpieces.

Words by Rebecca Cope

Images from Style.com