An Activist Autumn : Paris Defines Trendy Issues in Statements of Black and White
In the course of five short months, the French definition of a fashion celebrity has gone from Ivana Trump to Jacques Cousteau. And that tells you where things were headed as designers previewed their fall ’92 collections here this week.
Last October, Trump, in a lusty, busty satin dress, walked the runway at Thierry Mugler’s show. This time, Cousteau modeled a turtleneck sweater, everyday pants and a watchman’s cap in Jean Paul Gaultier’s otherwise off-the-wall event. The famed oceanographer looked as if he had dressed to watch reruns of his popular TV series, “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.”
Obviously, the applause was not for the clothes.
At first, Cousteau’s appearance seemed totally unrelated to what is going on here this week in fashion. But something else changed that: British rocker Bob Geldof modeled in Katharine Hamnett’s show. The brains behind Live Aid benefit concerts, Geldof wore green velvet and brocade evening clothes from Hamnett’s fall ’92 menswear collection. The audience went wild--for him.
We’ve seen it coming: the social activist as superstar. That’s quite a turnaround from real-estate moguls and junk-bond kings. But designers are nothing if not attuned to social trends. After all, every change in attitude could do with change of clothes.
Fortunately, repentance is only skin deep. They may be willing to tone down the glitz. But tune it out? Never.
It would be foolish to think that Gaultier, having made his reputation on skirts for men and bare-bottomed pantsuits for women, has suddenly gone conservative.
He showed pin-stripe suits with pants tight as leggings and a floor-length skirt. And that was for the men. For women--long pinafore dresses with built-in leather harnesses. The models wore them topless.
It wouldn’t be a Gaultier show without live entertainment. This time a one-man band played guitar, drums, whistle and harmonica and managed to shoot sparklers from his top hat at the same time, all without once disturbing the turtle doves on his shoulders.
It wasn’t the only music this week.
A rag-tag crew played oom-pah-pah and marched through the Salvation Army basement where Martin Margiela, Gaultier’s one-time assistant, showed his new collection.
Margiela’s ongoing anti-fashion approach translated to jackets with the basting stitches showing and long sweater dresses covered by what looked like plastic dry-cleaner bags. Margiela’s black leather jackets, as close-fitting as delicate blouses, were among the show’s best.
“It’s inevitable, this will catch on in L.A. All the young people in Paris dress this way now,” said Charles Gallay of the long black clothes sweeping Paris fashion runways this season. The Melrose Avenue retailer hustled to take snapshots of the scene at Margiela.
He’s right about this much: Long and black are the combination to beat.
Claude Montana made the look sculptural and hyper-sophisticated with mid-calf-length rib knit skirts, black tights and mid-heel black suede shoes. He topped them with stunningly simple jackets. Among them, a rose-colored leather jacket with silver hook-and-eye closings.
Like most designers here this week, Montana showed lots of pants, because long skirts are not flattering on all women. (“You need tight buns,” one New York retailer commented. Long legs don’t hurt, either.)
Montana’s narrow pants teamed with lean jackets in matching colors--marine blue or chestnut brown for day, black silk with crystal-beaded tops for night. He also showed dresses with long trains.
Karl Lagerfeld showed some of the best long skirts for fall. Like Montana’s, his are narrow as reeds. Lagerfeld used semi-sheer stretch tulle and lingerie lace details, so the skirts looked like long clingy slips. Like Montana, Lagerfeld mixed them with matte black tights and suede shoes. His version had curved Louis heels and laces in front.
Longer, fitted jackets that flared at the hem or tunic sweaters over the skirts made for outfits reminiscent of Europe just before 1920.
With Lagerfeld, it’s a matter of pride to pull the latest fashion details straight from the street and put them in his shows. Gooey, curly hair held up in back with a dozen bobby pins made the cut this week.
Issey Miyake’s white shirt dresses were ankle-length and crystal-pleated. And long narrow raincoats in the palest Glen plaid had more crystal pleats. Light is still all right.
Hubert de Givenchy broke form entirely, showing nothing but short skirts for day in a range of deep, warm shades.
The traditionalist was here to remind us: Short skirts, like short hair, are the best choices for older women.
