Womanhood was a concept came up a lot this AW25 season — unsurprisingly, given ideas of what women want to wear are what makes our industry tick. But during the final days of Paris Fashion Week, it was female designers who had the last word on the matter.
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At Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada showcased what she termed an ‘evaluation of the feminine’, elevating simpler silhouettes and everyday clothes with Mrs Prada-esque twists, styled on names like Lou Doillon, Sarah Paulson and Gigi Hadid. Skirt suits and knitwear pieces were constructed to draw attention to the décolletage; while bullet bras feel were layered under silk dresses and brooch adorned tops teamed with bias skirts, accessorised with bell-shaped cloche hats and furry stoles.
Meanwhile, Gabriela Hearst’s collection, looked to the feminine divine, inspired by the work of Marija Gimbutas, the late archeologist and mythologist who argued that, in Neolithic times, God was a woman — and society was much better off as a result. Back then, women ran social systems, she said, which emphasised nature, nurture and creativity, rather than aggression and war. It’s a world that Hearst has invited us to imagine through a strong yet feminine collection.
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Leather and shearling featured heavily, with zig-zag chevron patterns and spiral motifs (symbolic for women during the New Stone Age, according to Gimbutas) were subtly integrated throughout on coats and dresses, while snakes (which were seen as sacred rather than scary) inspired printed denim and skirts and bags hand-embroidered with ‘scales’ made of leather. ‘This collection feels sophisticated and raw,’ said Hearst, ‘and nothing is more sophisticated and raw than nature itself.’
Other designers highlighted craft and construction. At Saint Laurent, Anthony Vacerello focused on the simplicity of the silhouette (well, two silhouettes) with ‘straight forward pieces’ imagined in a variety of fabrics and saturated jewel tones. Models either wore coats and blouses with broad shoulders, which slimed to pencil skirts like an upside-down triangle, or drop-waist, full-skirted ball gowns, sexed-up with roll neck tops and oversized leather bombers.
And then there was Loewe, which skipped its regular show in favour of an exhibition-like display at Hotel de Maisons, new season clothes mixed in with large scale pieces from the house’s private art collection. It was a triumphant close to the season, with Anderson’s whimsy coming alive through exquisitely crafted clothes, many of which weren’t quite what they seemed on first glance: a Prince of Wales check coat was actually created using delicate metallic fringing; a dress shirt is both cotton and leather, juxtaposing fabrics in a way that makes you look twice; another dress made of beads is actually organza, manipulated to trick the eye. Leather jackets were sliced, almost like homemade paper lanterns, creating styles that would move fluidly when worn.
Anderson also debuted a collaboration with Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, which was spectacular, Anderson recreating Anni’s textile weavings as intricately crafted coats, skirts and bags. Josef’s Homage to the Square series appeared on accordion pleated skirts and the house’s signature hero bag styles too. The textile pieces are bound to be extremely limited edition. But, art collector or not, they'll be an investment worth making.
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