The Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 season includes multitudes of monumental shows; proving the rapid development and innovation of twenty-first-century fashion.
Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2023 brought lots of surprises and brand new ideas forward. Overall, it’s been a display of innovation and memorable, must-see moments. Read on to our favourite memories from the event.
Coperni
Bella Hadid presents a creation which proves to be the unbeatable moment of Paris Fashion Week. The Coperni Spring-Summer 2023 runway show is a definite highlight of the week. The Salle des Textiles at the National Museum of Arts et Métiers in Paris is home to the show; where tailored pieces are subject to reimagination, becoming a sort of hybrid.
Feminine Silhouette
The body reveals and rediscovers itself in an ever-evolving motion. Transparent textile bares all in a personal favourite – a sheer mesh top, with gentle ruching and a subtle asymmetrical twist. The classic Coperni cutout is a nice embellishment.
The power shoulder – a universal symbol of empowerment in women’s wardrobes for decades – is subject to reinvention. Offerings of blazers, leather jackets, and athletic bombers are on show. Matching body suits, which reinterpret the cup bra, reintroduce themselves as shoulder pads.
Highlights include dresses made in a thousand pieces of glass embroidery, broken from the Coperni glass bag (as seen on the Fall Winter 22 runway). Embroidering on silk mousseline, the harsh glass glitters hypnotically in a visual and sonic intoxication.
There is also a solid gold version of the house’s signature Swipe bag, crafted by artisan goldsmith, Gabriele Veneri. The classic-cut-out garment is furthered in a single red dress, a nod “to the woman in the red dress in The Matrix.”
Innovation Is Key
The collection titled Coperni Femme proves to be an ultimate homage to a “reconfigured paradigm of femininity”. It is a dedication to the women of the world, old and young. The closing look embodies this precisely. And it offers a show-stopping moment for the history books.
Meyer befriended scientist Dr. Manel Torress who was accompanied by a colleague in spraying Hadid from the neck down. The avant-garde spray-on-fabric spluttered snow-like residue in the purest of white onto the skin, becoming matte as it hardened.
As Hadid stands poised, another minute is spent cutting, hemming and twisting at the shoulder; perfecting the perfectly fitting dress, sublimating the female form in the most authentic way.
“Every so often there is a gesture in fashion that marks a moment in time. @Coperni conjuring this magical sculpture is a rupture in how we can think about clothing, performance, and art. Congratulations,” artist Daniel Arsham writes on Instagram.
The collection truly set hearts alight as Coperni offered a magnificent dedication to those who inspire us all to think beyond tomorrow.
Loewe
Jonathan Anderson’s latest endeavour is simply a continuation, setting out to explore what is real and what is fake behind our computer screens. For SS23, Loewe returns to the basics. It asks the dual question: what is fashion now – and what do we consider to be wearable this season? With a hyper-focus on line, colour and shape, the reality of clothing is the basis of Loewe’s exploration.
The Anthurium
A bold stage is set. And a vibrant installation of a colossal fibreglass anthurium stems from a hole in the floor of the La Gard Républicaine equestrian arena. Anderson equips the anthurium flower – a product of nature, as an object of design.
It’s precisely the tension and precision of the flower that becomes the strongest element of inspiration, becoming a well equiped motif in the show itself and even in the show’s invitation.
The red lace leaf sees itself moulded onto bodices which wrap around the whole bust, sprouting from the bra cups of freshly vibrant dresses, and blooming on footwear and bag offerings from the playful pumped up rubber pumps and flats to the elongated and streamlined Paeso bag which debuted at the show. Moreover, the anthurium flower proves to be an ultimate symbol of fierce femininity as the flower itself is poisonous.
A Blunt Design Statement
This is amplification through the act of reduction. Definition discovers tight silhouettes and shrunken lengths as garments strip the excess.
Thinking forward, Anderson redesigns classic silhouettes, bringing line, colour, and shape into pointed focus. The reality of clothing is placed in tension as sculptural boning breathes new life into garments, adding to the surreality that is Anderson.
Meanwhile, a quartet of warped dresses paired with deflated balloon shoes are suspended from triangular peaks that reach the face freezing the draping process in mid air.
Another head turning moment was the set of pixelated tops and trousers worn by models who look as if they had just stepped out of a Minecraft realm. The looks offered an “odd illusion that suddenly breaks the pattern.” This dichotomy of real fakes yet again doesn’t fail to perplex and Anderson doesn’t fail to push the boundaries.
Issey Miyake
Presenting its first collection since the late designer passed away, the Issey Miyake SS23 show began with a solemn tribute for Paris Fashion Week. Opening to the sounds of songbirds accompanied by the beginning of John Lennon’s Imagine, a black and white image of the legendary designer projected across the room.
This portrait was accompanied by a number of his quotes, the one resonating most with myself; “I believe there is hope in design. Design evokes surprise and joy in people,” joy is truly the perfect word.
The Art of Invention
Showcased in an events centre in the périphérique of the 19th arrondissement, “A Form That Breathes” the title of the collection, worked almost like a timeline, reflecting in retrospect on Miyake’s ubiquitous and fluid inventions.
The space itself is cast in a deep shadow. Bodies illuminate by a ray of light, a passage of time, beaming from the ceiling. It feels like a very poignant detail in consideration of the show’s context, a mournful touch.
In typical Miyake style, the looks present in groups, each focusing on its various avenues of seasonal exploration – all with a sculptural influence and grounding. This also manifested as two fabric obelisk sculptures dotted along the runway.
The “Torso” and “Torso Juxtapose” series features curved silhouettes characterised by sculptural form. From the very beginning to now, Issey Miyake’s designs have focused on the concept of “A Piece of Cloth”. We see garments made from a single piece of cloth. Impressed colour and thick prints, with hand application, repurposes the garment. This is what allows it a sculpture-like texture.
These appear to be rigid and solid-like at first. Then, becoming soft and fluid against the body as it moves. it becomes incredibly lively, reinforcing a sculptural element.
“The material is firm yet flexible, and the three-dimensional silhouette and draping is created by wearing the garments, like a sculpture on the body,” Issey Miyake Inc.
Innovation At Its Peak
Highlights include the Resonant Suit series, proving to be the most technologically significant portion of the show. The fabrication is polyester, circularly-pleated, and is ultimately fossil-fuel-free. The textile comes from a 100% plant-based source. It is truly a wonderful fashion development.
A personal favourite from the collection stems from the “Nude” series. Knitwear features graphic representations of abstract sculptures; drawing inspiration from a subtle trompe l’oeil body form.
Inner panels of Look 51 and 52 have a sheer yarn construction, featuring a draping effect. This is three-dimensionality in a straight silhouette.
The chic dress is interchangeable, and can be worn backwards, “which enables them to be enjoyed from various angles, just like viewing a sculpture.”
A Dance of Remembrance
The greatest highlight of this season’s showcase occurs in its final moments – a powerful performance of interpretive dance. Emphasising the natural fluidity of each garment, Issey Miyake honours the late designer in a softer colour palette.
Overall, Issey Miyake SS23 is more than just a tribute. Above all, it is also an emotional yet empowering showcase of Miyake’s undying spirit. One that needs to be seen in order to be felt.
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