Paris Fashion Week 2014: At Acne Studios, relaxed but polished
PARIS — Pharrell Williams was ahead of the trend with the now-infamous Vivienne Westwood mountie-style hat he wore to the Grammy Awards. On the runways this week in Paris, there have been hats galore, and we’re not talking your run-of-the-mill headgear either.
At Gareth Pugh, dramatic white wide-brimmed hats were elongated at the crown, and at Lanvin, majorette caps came trimmed in feathers. Westwood even referenced herself, showing an even bigger version of Pharrell’s lid at her runway show Saturday. Meanwhile, Rihanna was making the rounds in a black beanie with cat ears.
And for his Acne Studios collection, designer Jonny Johansson showed outsized pompom ski hats.
The cute hats underscored a new softness and accessibility, from the dreamy white sweater dress with sculptural folds in front, to the blanket-like shawls in pastel-colored tweeds or graphic wave patterns cocooning the shoulders.
According to the show notes, Johansson was inspired by “crisp moments on the beach as autumn comes to an end.” (Perhaps some of those moments were on the beach in Santa Monica, where he and his family stayed for a couple of weeks in December, when the Acne Studios store opened in the historic Eastern Columbia Building in downtown LA.)
The look was relaxed and sporty (leather anoraks, fur trimmed backpacks) but polished. And there was a 1960s/70s spirit to pastel denim trousers with front patch pockets and jackets with O-ring zippers, metallic stamped crocodile culottes (culottes are everywhere ... but will women wear them?), shearling coats, and bold disc jewelry.
Johansson continues to refine and evolve. Acne may have started as a denim label, but it’s blossoming into a 24/7 lifestyle brand.
ALSO:
More Paris Fashion Week coverage
Alexander Wang finds his groove at Balenciaga
Dazzling Paris exhibit explores Dries Van Noten’s design inspiration
