Valentino's creative duo, Maria
Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, have left their beloved
Rome as a source of inspiration for spring-summer 2016 and
travelled to Africa.
It was a round trip showcased at their Paris women's
ready-to-wear show Tuesday that took them to the stunning
landscapes of the African continent and then straight back home
to the Eternal City.
The opening looks included sublimely simple empire-line
black tunics with metal necklaces.
Then the show developed from austere monasticism to rich
decoration with patterns of wild animals and geometric tribal
motifs.
Necklines and cuffs stood out in quills and peacock
feathers.
Masai-style beadings decorated the house's new bags,
amplifying the ethnic vibe also evoked by the white terracotta
jewelry, the outcome of a collaboration with artist Alessandro
Gaggio, who also designed Valentino's jewels for the house's
couture show earlier this year.
And with this deluxe, finely-crafted vision of African
travels also came the house's mainstays.
An evolution of signature Valentino looks for
spring-summer included fringing, from suede mini-skirts and
capes to raffia on coats.
There were also tie-dye clothes, such as a jacquard coat
and flares.
And then came the staple gowns with a saffron-colored
number, among others, of sublime delicacy.
As in previous collections, the duo succeeded in
delivering with equal finesse austere monasticism and regal
embellishment - at times in one piece.
The clothes had couture-worthy craftsmanship - the pintuck
folds in the kaftans, the feather and chiffon inserts, the
colorful beading, the finely studded and cut leather and suede.
Meanwhile at another major show on Tuesday, Karl Lagerfeld
created an airport at Paris' Grand Palais with a huge electronic
passenger information desk and departure lounge chairs for
'Chanel Airlines' passengers.
Fashion is increasingly turning into a flying expedition
with editors piling up the air miles as collections are being
showcased across far-flung destinations.
Chanel destinations for spring-summer included Dallas,
Dubai, Salzburg, Shanghai and Tokyo, all cities in which the
fashion house has recently presented collections.
The show, of course, took place at Terminal No. 5, an
homage to the brand's iconic perfume, and the inspiration was
long-distance travel.
The 95 looks played up the travelling theme with dresses
printed with electronic passenger data, for instance.
The inspiration embraced all kinds of travelers, from the
sporty airline passenger donning a sweater in blue, red and
white and sporty flatform sandals, to the glamorous globetrotter
going for a classic Chanel tweed skirt suit.
The sporty traveler could also go for 1970s flared jeans
while first-class guests had their pick from one of the
dropped-shoulder jackets or go for a cropped boucle version.
There were also bejeweled Chanel suitcases, fit for any
customer flying around the world.
Layering was a major theme of the collection.
Skirts were styled over pants, sweaters were tied around
the waist or shoulders.
It just looked like the Chanel passengers were wary of
leaving any piece home and were stuck at check-in with
overweight baggage.
Unwilling to take out their wallets from a new rendition of
the quilted bag or an iconic Boy purse to pay extra, they piled
on their Chanel staples to ignore luggage restrictions, stay
warm in the cool cabin air and fly high in style.
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