Paris Fashion Week is in full swing – every day, fashion brands are showcasing dozens of new collections. Among the most talked-about recent shows are Balenciaga, LOEWE, and Viktoria Beckham. We'll tell you more about them.
Balenciaga
Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a new collection for Balenciaga, bringing in Euphoria creator Sam Levinson to design the show and emphasize its connection to Generation Z. In a darkened space on the Champs-Élysées, dozens of monitors broadcast footage from the upcoming season of the drama, creating an atmosphere of anxious anticipation. Piccioli explained that the collaboration with Levinson was aimed at conveying complex human emotions and finding “light in the darkness” of the modern world.
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In total, the collection showcased 81 coordinated looks, where the classic architectural style of the brand was combined with a pop culture context. The main accent of the clothes were sculptural collars and a “cocoon” silhouette, referring to the heritage of the founder of the house Cristobal Balenciaga. Along with outerwear, the designer presented skillfully draped jersey dresses and stylish high-waisted jeans. Accessories attracted special attention: updated soft Hourglass bags and brogues, created in collaboration with JM Weston.
LOEWE
The new Loewe collection, led by Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez, was a celebration of ironic fashion and a “frivolous” approach to luxury. The American designers skillfully combined childlike spontaneity with high technology, presenting items that resemble inflatable toys, jelly desserts and neatly trimmed poodles. The use of bright yellow and rhythmic techno in the background created the atmosphere of a cool party.
An important element of the collection was the reference to the work of the German contemporary artist Cosima von Bonin, manifested in naive floral prints and funny soft toys. However, behind the external play of this duo hides a deep rethinking of the craftsmanship for which the LOEWE brand is famous, through the use of 3D modeling and ultra-fine leather processing. For McCullough and Hernandez, perfection does not consist in demonstrating exclusively manual work, but in achieving such purity of forms that resemble flawless factory casting. In this way, the brand demonstrated that modern luxury can be both technologically sophisticated and ironic.
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham is another artist who turned to contemporary art this season. The designer drew inspiration from the work of the rebellious artist Tamara de Lempicka – the new Viktoria Beckham collection focuses on exploring the sensuality of the female body, but not without understanding the rhythm of life of modern women. Thanks to this, it was possible to maintain a balance between elegance and practicality. On the catwalk, the audience saw sculptural wool suits, shirts with ties, textured knitwear and a noble neutral palette.
Beckham managed to capture the spirit of Lempicka's era without turning the clothes into theatrical costumes, making this collection one of the designer's strongest statements in recent seasons. The sharp pockets on the pants and the geometric pleats on the jackets were a direct reference to Cubism and Art Deco – the time when the “baroness with a paintbrush” created. But the same practicality makes it easy to adapt the catwalk looks to real life.
