Fashion and Fantasy Shared the Stage at Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks
There was snow and there were tears during Paris Fashion Week last month. Yes, at Chanel, models in vivid puffer coats, part of the last ready-to-wear collection by the late Karl Lagerfeld, strode through an elaborate alpine-village setting as they mourned the loss of the label’s legendary creative director. The fall and winter runway presentations for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Moncler, and Vetements were equally captivating. From a menagerie of giraffes and zebras to a cadre of mid-century gray office desks, drama is proving to be particularly au courant.
Keep scrolling to see images from the runway shows >
Louis Vuitton
Scaffolding and ductwork inspired by the bright industriousness of the Centre Pompidou backdropping artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière’s collection in the courtyard of the Musée du Louvre.
Tatras
In a Paris garage, creative director Masanaka Sakao’s monoliths of aluminum-composite mirrors simulating reflective icebergs amid a stream of puffer coats and moon boots.
Thom Browne
At the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, a glassed-in office featuring women instead of men working at desks and portraits of Una Vincenzo, Lady Troubridge—a 10th-anniversary nod to a similar set done for Pitti Uomo.
Vetements
Head designer Demna Gvasalia alluding to the evolution of human beings with nonprofessional models and taxidermic giraffes, zebras, and elephants at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle.
Chanel
La Grand Palais transformed into a wintery village of “snow”-covered mountains and chalets for Karl Lagerfeld’s final ready-to-wear collection.
Moncler
The baroque style of the 18th-century Villa Arconati contrasted with the futuristic Moncler Genius collection.
