Paris Fashion Week: Valentino

After I showed you what was happening around the Valentino tent now comes the actual show! The clothes were absolutely amazing - very feminine, with sheer materials, exquisite draping and pleating and subtle color superpositions. The collection was very coherent and kept the same sense of ease and of efortless chic as the Haute Couture collection they presented earlier this year in Paris. Back then I said it was may favorite collection from the Haute Couture Fashion Week. If you don't remember it as well as I do, you can compare it here. The same simple shapes and lightness of materials, but translated also into streetwear with two-piece suits, sweaters or colorful furs instead of just dresses. Another interesting detail is that while in the Haute Couture collection some dresses had butterflies on the high collars, this time the appliqués are the shape of roses. Amongst my favorites looks would be the floor-length dresses, the hint of a delicate dress under a sweater, the light pink dress with long sleeves and a thin belt or the contrast of the sheer blouses under the jackets or suits. I loved the accessories: the soft and weightless boots and of course the bags. Notice also that the same emphasis on fur and python leather for the accessories as in other collections from the Italian Fashion Houses, such as Gucci. Here are the most interesting looks from the runway:

Photos courtesy of Imaxtree.com and Matteo Volta


And here's the runway video if you want to see more:

Paris Fashion Week: Menswear @ Valentino

I've emphahsized maybe too much the great styles women hat at the Valentino show, but what about men? They should also have something to say in fashion. For fear of being too repetitive this list is not complete, I've omitted those stylish men that you already saw in my previous posts from the Chanel and Valentino venues, like Mr. Cortina or Hamish Bowles for example, but you can check them out afterwards if you want. Here are my top choices for menswear at this show:

Whether it's a skinny jean paired with a form-fitting blazer, a crazy animal print shirt and a skinny tie or just a simple double-pocketed camel coat these men caught my attention. I really liked the effort some men put into transforming a casual outfit like those sweater/shirt combos into something more by adding a touch of color from a scarf or a pair of out of the ordinary sunglasses. You could see the Italian charm in any of the two pictures with men wearing sunglasses! Last but not least, how stylish does the grey outfit/brown shoe look? I loved it!

Paris Fashion Week: Famous faces @ Valentino

Giovanna Battaglia (L'Uomo Vogue)

As I was telling you on Friday, I saw a lot of famous faces around the tent in the Tuilleries just before the Valentino show. Some of them I caught on film, others were too quick and managed to escape my vigilent eye. Who did I see you must be wondering... In no order whatsoever I saw the editors from Vogue Nippon Anna Dello Russo and Mr. Cortina walking together towards the show, Franca Sozzani - editor-in-chief for Vogue Italia, British socialite Alexa Chung taking pictures of her friends on the white carpet, some of the models from the show, fashion editor for L'Uomo Vogue Giovanna Battaglia, the ever-so-stylish Hamish Bowles - the European  editor at large for Vogue, Florence Welch from Florence + the Machine whom I did a style profile on a few weeks ago and even photographer Patrick Demarchelier and rapper Kanye West. Kanye West and stylist Joe Zee were amongst the quick ones that I didn't manage to get a shot of unfortunately. Sounds pretty awesome, no? I felt like being caught in a whirlpool of excitement, I didn't even have time to realize what an amazing experience I was living until later, as on the spot everything was happening so fast - you saw one person, took the shot and then immediately someone else appeared!

Anna Dello Russo and Mr. Cortina (Vogue Nippon)

Who else could have pulled off that look if not Anna Dello Russo? A hat with her name on it? Absolutely love it!

Patrick Demarchelier (photographer)

Alexa Chung

Franca Sozzani (Vogue Italia)

Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine)

Hamish Bowles (Vogue Europe)

Models after the show (Ginta Lapina, Arizona Muse, Freja Beha Erichsen)

Models after the show

Models after the show

Kate Lanphear (Elle)

One of the most amazing people I had the chance to be around was Costanza Pascolato editor for Vogue Brasil. She looked gorgeous! One of those rare women with such class and charm, that you feel instantly attracted to her like a moth to the light. She was so different from the other celebrities there, with her warm smile, talking to all the photographers as if she knew them. She was so friendly and open that it was a real pleasure to see her. She was wearing a gorgeous statement necklace and the same studded Valentino shoes as one of the models from the show. That's keeping up with fashion!

Costanza Pascolato (Vogue Brazil)

Enough about this type of famous people! Let's talk about something else... about the other side of the fashion business - the bloggers. I don't know who your favorite fashion bloggers are (it would be great if you could share your opinions on that!) but I know who I worship. My absolute favorite bloggers are Garance Doré and of course Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist (her boyfriend). Talk about a power couple in fashion! Imagine how it would be like to religiously read their blogs every day for the past few years, checking them dozens of times a day to see if they wrote anything new or posted another picture and then, all of a sudden SEE them and even TALK to them at the Paris Fashion Week. 

I was scouting the white carpet for interesting looks when Scott jumps right in front of me to take someone's picture. I was speechless and couldn't move for a few moments and then he started moving around chasing someone and I found myself running after him... in my huge heels... and of course he vanished leaving me with nothing but a picture of his back. But I saw him!! I knew he was rather small, but I think he was about my height with heels, so around 5 ft 6 I'd say. That's the answer to my puzzle about his height! Right after that the show starts and who do you think I see? As odd as it may sound Garance Doré! I just snapped a picture of her and didn't even realized it was her until I looked on my camera to make sure I wasn't seeing things! She was very quick then, but I spotted her later talking to some people in the crowd and went straight to her and told her how I love her blog and Scott's and took a picture with her. She was so nice!

Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist

Garance Doré

If you think that before all this I spent my morning at the Chanel venue, you must agree with me that it was a fabulous day!

Paris Fashion Week: People before Valentino

As promised, I have a few shots of this amazing new trend that consists in wearing your coat carelessly thrown back on your shoulders. It elongates the silhouette and makes any outfit look instantly more elegant and mysterious in my opinion. Have a close look at this picture above. Besides the great outfit overall and the perfect hint of color with that bright yellow bag, do you notice something shiny on her right hand? It's probably the one of the most amazing pieces of jewelry I've seen lately. Here is a close-up:

Amazing, right? 

Here's a second look that I really liked. Everything comes into place, the grey beanie, the coat, the sheer dress, the brown leather belt. She looks so stylish and so relaxed in the same time! Fashion is just about that: mixing styles and appropriating them to make them fit your own personality.