Whitewall is in Paris covering the latest collections presented by Hermès, Valentino, Maison Margiela, and Lanvin.
Hermès painted a picture of modern romance, debuting a Fall/Winter 2019 collection of elegant and contemporary wardrobe staples. Confident and resolute, this season’s silhouettes were tight, featuring sharp tailoring and cuts. There was a pristine attention to detail, seen in elements like varying colors of seams, printed lining under the fold of a blouse, equestrian-reminiscent leather bands lining the front and sides of garments, and tiny metal studs dotting the surface of pieces as if it were a patterned fabric. In addition to the quintessentially fall palette of earth tones, there were cosmo-inspired prints seen on blouses and sweatshirts, and equestrian-inspired patterns on dresses—one in which had a tightly ruffled trim running along the sleeves, neck, and bodice.
Valentino presented its Fall/Winter 2019 collection in addition to a small publication titled Valentino ON LOVE. For it, poets Greta Bellamacina, Mustafa The Poet, Yrsa Daley-Ward, and Robert Montgomery shard their beliefs on love. A graphic that shows embracing stone figures surrounded by roses serves as the main motif this season, seen on oversized bucket hats, on the fronts of shirts, on overcoats, and covering the surfaces of evening gowns. Silhouettes are short and loose, or long and flowing, often paired with layers of jackets, sweaters, and accessories like hats and sunglasses. Phrases like “There’s a forever beyond the sky, I think we should go there tonight” was seen on both streetwear and formalwear—including a transparent gray tulle dress with shorts lining the bottom. Highlights included a gorgeous red gown with a floral and butterfly applique pattern, a show-stopping fuzzy coat, a printed sweatshirt dress, a transparent lace bucket hat, and a cream motif graphic dress worn over a matching turtleneck with black leather boots.
In a computer-generated culture full of overstimulation, returning to the essentials is sometimes necessary. For its new collection, Maison Margiela did just this by reducing its designs to their core, presenting a co-ed collection that highlights a refined sense of restraint. For the purpose of turning gender-specific garments neutral, flannel coats have become dresses, trousers have been cut open and flattened to become skirts and capes, and trench coats have morphed into shorts. With the exception of a suite of designs featuring abstract, colorful graphics, the palette remains entirely on the gray scale. Silhouettes are roomy and loose, featuring unique structured details that reveal the previous nature of their design—like a tweed dress with a wide, built-up shoulder construction that makes it appear as though the model is wearing an oversized skirt and not a dress. Standout pieces included a trench coat with plaid lining and a leather collar, printed jeans worn with a matching two-sided jacket, and a black overcoat-dress hybrid with the white stitching details.
Presented on the regal tile floors and amid stone statues of the Musée de Cluny, Lanvin debuted its enchanting Mystic Pilgrims collection. Notes have been taken from an array of times and cultures, reminiscent at times of maritime uniforms. Sailor-inspired jackets have been updated with leather bows at the collar, majestic capes take on the form of dual-patterned plaid blankets hooked at the neck, and fishermen’s hats and gloves are seen paired with silky tops and printed dresses. The palette has a wide range—soft green, buttery yellow, blush pink, deep navy, chartreuse, and warm brown burgundy. Storybook graphics become prints and embroideries; silhouettes are created with a draping effect, which creates fluid, floating hems and long, billowing sleeves; and a dress, silky and lacey, had embroidered animals across transparent sleeves. We also enjoyed a blue printed dress with long gold tassel-like details on the bottom, and a plaid and storybook printed strapless wrap dress, which was worn with white booties.
