Wednesday’s offering at Paris Fashion Week saw shows from Gareth Pugh (not to mention his infamous after party at Silencio) and Rochas. Pugh presented a futuristic black and white collection with lattice work wrapping around bodies and necks. The collection was inspired by entrapment in cages, clearly seen in the square lattice work pieces which extended to footwear also. The collection featured several stiff body-con dresses with angular shoulders that were juxtaposed with more fluid pieces in jersey material. There were stripes to break up the monochrome palette of black and white and organza was used to give texture and sheen to the pieces. In particular, the oil slick dress at the end of the show which had a midnight blue sheen and wrapped around the neck was one of the best pieces of the collection. However, the head wear that accompanied it, a black transparent oval plastic mask, looked like part of a costume from the Alien movies, may not be seen outside the catwalk.
Rochas presented a dramatically different collection from Pugh for Spring/Summer 2012, drawing on the 1950’s for inspiration. Models were coiffed with beehives and wore scarves and sunglasses. The hem lines were longer and the silhouettes more voluptuous and nipped in at the waist. Zanini cleverly made the collection modern with the use of colours, check pattern and embellishment. The palette ranged from pale blue and green to dusky pink and included a soft white aptly named “Milkshake”. Several pieces stood out, a pale green long sleeved sequin dress, a black over-sized cable knit jumper and a demure but some how sexy at the same time white one piece swimming costume.
Photos from Rochas.com
