Mar 6, 2009

Paris: Pushing off the Pool Wall

Paris Fashion Week, the final and most important lap in “fashion month,” kicked off Wednesday, but most would argue that it really got started with Thursday morning’s Balenciaga show. And oh, things are just rushing forward. The draped silk looks, harem pants and bubbly skirts paired with pert shoulders, called to mind Yves Saint Laurent. Perhaps with economic concerns in mind, Nicolas Ghesquière put aside his futuristic robot muse—at least for this season.

I went to Nina Ricci last night where I loved how designer Olivier Theyskens exaggerated so many of the looks he is known for, like great sculpted jackets, hourglass cinched dresses, and dramatic red carpet gowns. (Apparently it’s his last season at the brand.) And I loved the wet and matted hair—like a newly hatched bird—on the models.

But I didn’t like the shoes—strange, towering platforms, remarkably built without heels. I’m not sure if they felt tortuous to wear, but the girls had to walk very slowly, as if they were carrying a full bowl of soup down a long hallway. They didn’t seem at ease.

Want to know which surprising man is appearing at notoriously hard to get into shows? No it isn’t Kanye. The real star of the fashion week front row thus far is Morley Safer, who is profiling Anna Wintour for 60 Minutes. Apparently, he was at Balenciaga yesterday morning, and according the New York Times, he kept a lot of important people waiting while he wrapped up an interview with Wintour at the exclusive show. I snapped this picture of him at Ralph Lauren in New York a couple of weeks ago, where I was surprised to see Safer sandwiched in between Anna Wintour and Blake Lively.

Posted at 11:50 AM in Fashion Week | Permalink

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