On the last leg of the fall shows, reviews have been mixed — critics were often at odds in their takes on the same collection. From Ungaro’s take-no-prisoners temptresses to Givenchy’s “peculiar” panther motif, read what they’ve loved and despised on the Paris runways thus far.
THE HITS:
Chanel
• “[T]he clothes were resolutely contemporary, more masculine than froufrou Chanel
you sensed Mr. Lagerfeld wanting to give Chanel a younger, street attitude. Not so sure about the spree of black, semi-transparent jumpsuits for evening.” [On the Runway/NYT]
• “Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel ignited the autumn 2011 fashion season It was a somber, but perhaps visionary, Chanel show from Mr. Lagerfeld, who seemed to have captured more powerfully than any other designer this turbulent, unsettling fashion moment.” [IHT]
• “[O]verall, the mood was almost funereal for evening. Chanel’s atelier did wow with some delicate gray leaves on smoky chiffon tops or long delicate lace and fabric flower and feathered columns the opening looks of jackets worn with loose fitting wide pants immediately made for a new Chanel silhouette that will appeal to a younger audience.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “And a moment it was. While the set unintentionally played to the dark mood still weighing on Paris, its true purpose was a fashion clue: Say au revoir to chichi, ladies!… jackets looked new and savvy [tweed gowns] were equal part audacity and allure.” [WWD]
• “Aside from the mesmerizing scenario, the collection’s genius lay in Lagerfeld’s supernatural prescience about the way a lot of young women want to dress now, mixing the street with enough high fashion fantasy to make the result seem rich and strange.” [Style.com]
• “Dramatic in the extreme, it had a serious, post-apocalyptic feel One quilted, rubberised felt boiler suit was a flash of humour in an otherwise uncharacteristically serious show.” [Vogue UK]
