PFW SS19: Paco Rabanne

FOR Julien Dossena at Paco Rabanne, the sky’s the limit. Literally nothing was off-limits in a collection that saw the amalgamation of almost every motif in fashion. Florals? Check. Tie-dye? Check. Metallics? Check. That’s not to mention the chainmail that forms the very heart of the Paco Rabanne brand, and the lace, the check, the paisley…you get the picture.

The collection reads as a wardrobe of a self-assured, almost-hippie jetsetter, one who gathers clothing as you would antiques or collectibles: over time and across space. She is one who doesn’t feel self-conscious pairing a leather moto jacket, Japanese clogs and a maxi skirt in traditional Indian woodblock print. She will wear floral and lace lingerie under a sheer and shiny lurex dress (in a lime green hue, no less!) without blinking an eye. The Paco Rabanne girl is bold and unafraid.

The classic Paco Rabanne chainmail appeared as overskirts worn over soft, printed maxi skirts or as tops worn as layers over more ostentious pieces. They also subtly emerged as necklaces, layered belts and were even interwoven within the pieces themselves. The final piece, for instance, featured metal manipulated to look like lace.

If there’s something to be learnt from Dossena’s collection for Paco Rabanne, it is the art of layering. Shirt dresses were worn buttoned at the top but left unbuttoned from midriff downwards, showing off a contrasting skirt below. Slip dresses were donned over shirts, while lingerie was playfully left visible under sheer tops. Even if the motley crew of prints do not appeal to you, the inventive styling genius exhibited will. Dossena’s layering reminds that us summer isn’t boring, it can be more than lazy days spent in a cotton top and denim shorts. His is a summer that is colourful, exotic and unforgettable.

by Kay Leong

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