Valentino explores Africa, Chanel flies

(ANSA) - Rome, October 7 - 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.