\ RUNWAY MAGAZINE ®: October 2020

October 7, 2020

Best of Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2021

Best of Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2021 season. Review by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE.

Paris was competing with New York and Milan about how to organize in the best way fashion week, make it safe and secure for the designers, all participants and the people who’ll be able to attend. Fashion Federation in New York decided to go mostly for digital presentation, only few very private shows were organized by the designers at their own homes.

Milan obviously won this “safety” competition. The masks, social distancing (2m between the seats), negative tests for all participants and the gusts at the entrance – perfect organization. Fashion Federation in Paris (Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode) organized the fashion week…. well, how it’s been always organized in Paris. Federation announced that 1000 people are perfectly allowed to be present at the show, even French government forbid all public gatherings for more than 12 people. No one really cared about social distancing, and of course there were no negative tests demands. Although not too many designers organized the real shows, many decided “go safety”, “go digital”, and do the online presentations.

Christian Dior, Balmain and Chanel and couple of emerging designers organized “real” shows, plus of course fashion salons. Salons were empty, no one visited them, as public already long time ago lost interest to emerging brands repeating, recopying and reproducing each other, and now professionals, experts, media and buyers are no longer interested in overprized badly made clothes.

The result of these efforts are… zero, not a big fat one, invisible one. The scheduled online presentations didn’t draw much attention either. Brands, who are so eager to buy fake followers on instagram and other social media networks, didn’t get closer to reality, not much viewers were noted on the instagram or youtube. Perhaps it is a time to face it – only very small community, 200-300 people are really interested to watch, and only 5% of them are actually have desire to buy.

See Best of the Spring Summer 2021 looks HERE


Christian Dior opened the fashion week, and showed Italian looks, looks repeated Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino designs, spiced up by peasant tasteless looks, during the modern, very contemporary choral, which no one was able to handle for more than 2 mon, plus pseudo-artistic approach.

Christian Dior Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Christian Dior Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Olivier Rousteing for Balmain Spring Summer 2021 season decided to battle his habit to copy and presented something which no one expected – a collection “dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig”. Heigh-Ho, he actually found the way, for ones, this ones, to use traditional Balmain logo on the garments and bags, and presented the looks he actually created himself, and the Pinocchio looks he actually loves: oversized long jackets and shorts panties.

Balmain Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Balmain Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

The hit of this season was Spring Summer 2021 collection presented by Rick Owens from Milan. He organized the show in Milan, to be safe, knowing that Paris is not ready and not willing or capable to compel to health issues, and projected it to Paris digitally. Can you imagine Rick Owens pink? No, you can’t. But here it is – pink, fresh and beautiful, full of hope and actually elegance. In all ways it feels like the heart of Rick Owens during these dark times filled up with the hope.

Rick Owens Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Rick Owens Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Spring Summer 2021 created an ode to Vivienne Westwood, romantic and profound ” from Chinese Tanka to English fog”. Beautiful, very profound digital presentation gave this fascination to this collection maybe because of this beautiful ode to the queen Vivienne, the lady of his heart. And of course “without further ado”, discussions, conferences and investment, Vivienne Westwood Spring Summer 2021 collection presented another sustainability creative project. N.B Fabrics: Recycled, Eco, Bio, Organic, FSC Certified.

Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Chanel wanted to present “Hollywood” collection for this Spring Summer 2021 season. The look apparently reserved for the stars, who’ll wear them for the next Award ceremony. Everything was designed to support this “cinematic” view: huge letters ‘CHANEL” in the manner of famous “Hollywood” letters in California, colorful simple pants and jackets, ti-shirts with letter “5” in the form of the street tags, colorful shirts with photos of neon lights. Chanel Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection imagined by Virginie Viard, inspired by the House’s privileged relationship with actresses, both on and off-screen.

Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Nicolas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton for Spring Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear Paris Fashion Week season actually presented a concept. The fashion show took place in renewed and opened La Samaritaine. Movie “Wings of Desire” of Wim Wenders, and repeated image of Bruno Ganz, an Angel staying on the roof of high building in Berlin right after the Second Word War, is a leitmotiv of Louise Vuitton Spring Summer 2021 collection by Nicolas Ghesquiere.

Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2021 – Bruno Ganz Wings of Desire by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2021 – Bruno Ganz Wings of Desire by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Maison Margiela Spring Summer 2021 “Still With A Loving Kiss”. John Galliano presented a movie at Paris Fashion week. Artistic dancing, backstage artisanal work and interview – all of these mix-match laid down as a sustainability concept of Maison Margiela. John Galliano told about his passion to discover old pieces on flee-markets all over the world, replicate them, re-create them, so the garments could have a new life and live again. He proposed new recycling project of the House.

Maison Margiela Spring Summer 2021 – John Galliano by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Maison Margiela Spring Summer 2021 – John Galliano by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

And basically there’s nothing more to say about Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2021 season. No more creative concepts noted, and to speak about massive fiasco has no longer any interest.

October 5, 2020

Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2021

Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear Paris Fashion Week. The fashion show took place in renewed and opened La Samaritaine, renewed and turned by Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH (Louis Vuitton group) in luxury hotel.

Movie “Wings of Desire” of Wim Wenders, and repeated image of Bruno Ganz, an Angel staying on the roof of high building in Berlin right after the Second Word War, is a leitmotiv of Louise Vuitton Spring Summer 2021 collection by Nicolas Ghesquiere.

Is that a message that the old world is destroyed, but there’s always a hope? The original name of the movie “The Heaven over Berlin”, the movie about hope and love, the story of Angels. The collection is inspired by modern generation of artistic Berlin.

If you look at the collection closely you will see several themes:

  • the theme of Berlin’s wall – the contemporary art and graffiti,
  • the theme of the Angel – black coats and lose jackets,
  • the theme of the sky and clouds – grey and silver combinezons with clouds on them,
  • and the theme of the prisoner’s uniform of death camps – ti-shirts and pants with stripes.

Designer Nicolas Ghesquiere took these themes with the HOPE. This is the story in the “Wings of Desire” or “Heaven over Berlin” and the theme of the collection. That is probably why on some ti-shirts we can see one word “VOTE” (fist look), so the darkest human history won’t repeat itself.

See ALL LOOKS HERE

Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders – Bruno Ganz
Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders – Bruno Ganz

Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders – Bruno Ganz
Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders – Bruno Ganz

Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders – Bruno Ganz
Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders – Bruno Ganz

Chanel Spring Summer 2021

Chanel Spring Summer 2021 Paris Fashion Week. Hollywoo….

Press-release:
For the press kit of the CHANEL Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection imagined by Virginie Viard, the Dutch photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin have shot a series of photographs and videos, inspired by the House’s privileged relationship with actresses, both on and off-screen.

In three different decors, the models Rianne Van Rompaey, Mica Argañaraz and Louise de Chevigny play four recurring cinematic situations. On the telephone, gazing out of the window, sitting on a bed, and walking through the heart of Paris, they embody the natural elegance and the photogenicity of the silhouettes imagined by the Artistic Director.

“Playing on the idea of repetition, the women all enact the same gestures,” confide Inez & Vinoodh. “They are each clearly in their own world but together represent what we feel is Chanel’s way of fitting into the lives of every woman with a cool and easy allure.”

The CHANEL Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection will be shown on Tuesday October 6th 2020 at 10.30am (Paris time) at the Grand Palais in Paris. The show will also be streamed live on chanel.com and across CHANEL’s social media.

See ALL LOOKS HERE


Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Chanel Spring Summer 2021 by RUNWAY MAGAZINE


October 3, 2020

Kenzo Takada – fashion icon died 4 October 2020

Kenzo Takada – fashion icon died 4 October 2020. With his use of colors and lights, he forever changed Parisian couture. It is sad to know that this great designer became another victim of Covid-19.

Kenzo Takada support to RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Kenzo Takada support to RUNWAY MAGAZINE

Mat Maitland creative commercial project for Kenzo – 2013 Resort collection
Mat Maitland creative commercial project for Kenzo – 2013 Resort collection

He was suppose to attend the evening 23 September 2020, the premiere of the film “House of Cardin”, but at that time he was already weakened by coronavirus. Full of life, full of flowers Kenzo Takada was spirited away in the land of beauty and art.

PARIS, FRANCE – FEBRUARY 28: Kenzo Takada celebrates his 80th Birthday at Pavillon Ledoyen on February 28, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Rindoff Petroff/Castel/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – FEBRUARY 28: Kenzo Takada celebrates his 80th Birthday at Pavillon Ledoyen on February 28, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Rindoff Petroff/Castel/Getty Images)

Many people in Paris today expressed their sadness. Kenzo Takada was born in Japan, he came to Paris in January 1965. And he indeed became a national treasure.

Kenzo Takada and Eleonora de Gray – Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Kenzo Takada and Eleonora de Gray – Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE

I’ve meet him in 2010 during his art exposition in Pierre Cardin gallery. And since then I always felt his support and participation in many fashion and art project we organized. And I’m forever thankful for that.

Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE