[ot-caption title=”One of the many shows during Paris Fashion Week (via, Eva Rinaldi)”]

Adding onto the countless cities featured during what many fashion moguls dub “fashion month,” Paris Fashion Week brought the high fashion and diversity that we have all come to love.  Ranked as the fourth top fashion city in the world, Paris’s biannual Fashion Week is the time that high end and well known designers pull out all the stops to impress the countless fashion editors and consumers attending their elaborate shows.  From Chanel to Fendi, this fashionable week features nothing but the best of the best. Not only have the greatest names in fashion debut new collections, which is extremely exciting in itself, but the viewer gets a glimpse into the minds of the creators themselves.  Legendary designs such as Karl Lagerfeld have made statements and started trends that have changed the fashion industry forever.

The who’s who in the fashion industry debut their collections at this season’s Paris Fashion Week.  Hermes rocked the runways in white (even though it is a clear rule that white is a no go after labor day). MIU MIU once again proved their genius, assembling a smorgasbord of frills, pencil skirts, coats, ruffles, plaid, color and texture. the Louis Vuitton debut offered an array of clothing, varying from a modern dessert art, to a classic French architecture perspective. Alexander McQueen showed off a collection that riffed on Japanese geisha florals, masks, and a total mastery of making fashionable clothes. Valentino channeled a once popular trend in Europe, in which wealthy young adults toured the grand cities of Europe, and channeled the style of these young women in their collection.

Even though Paris Fashion Week is one of the most highly anticipated and legendary fashion events of the year, not everything is about the fashion.  Sometimes designers will take the opportunity to bring forward a social issue or express a relevant message.  For example, when the word “model” comes to mind the first words you think of are: skinny, tall, and beautiful. But, you don’t have to look a certain way to be beautiful. Today, social media reigns supreme, telling people how they should look, feel, and act. We live our lives by the “rules” seen on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and other popular social media platforms. This year at Paris Fashion Week, Lane Bryant has made steps to try and define a new look that will revolutionize the way society has trained the mind to perceive beauty. During his runway show, which happens to be one of the most recognized fashion shows of the entire world, he featured an array of body types, including plus sized models.  They walked the runway and looked amazing. Sixty seven percent of US woman are size 14 to 34, but they are underrepresented on billboards, magazines, TV, or really anywhere you can think of.  Countless companies believe the image of beauty is that of someone who is tall, skinny, and flawless, but Bryant’s goal is to rid the world of this image of beauty. “We believe all women should be seen and celebrated equally,” were the wise words of Lane Bryant. #PlusIsEqual is a new campaign to support the emergence of curvy, full models in the high fashion industry.

In addition to the statement made by Lane Bryant, those at Chanel also chose to make a statement of their own during their runway show.  Every year, Chanel chooses to theme their show, a past theme incorporated a grocery store runway.  This year, they chose to create Chanel airlines, featuring check in desks, airline employees, and luggage in all.  The Chanel shows are not only known for their impressively executed  themes, but also for the messages they convey.  Karl Lagerfeld made the move to end the show in an extremely nontraditional manner.  Unlike the normal finale, in which the models walk down the runway in a single file line, displaying all the looks of the show, and ending with a brief glimpse at the designer himself, Karl Lagerfeld spiced it up a bit.  He ended the show with an array of different female archetypes ended in a rousing, colorful protest with slogans that read “Ladies First” and “Feminism not Masochism.”

As usual, Paris Fashion Week made jaws drop and wallets open. Even though these pieces won’t officially be released until the fall, fashionistas everywhere are impatiently awaiting for all these new designs to hit the market.    Whether it’s making a statement, or just displaying amazing fashion, Paris Fashion Week is a show stopping event year after year.

Source: Harpers Bazaar, Plus Is Equal

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