Designers really put the ‘show’ in fashion show on the third day of Paris Fashion Week. From Givenchy’s grand promenade held in an ephemeral white show space built by architect Gabriel Calatrava to Gabriela Hearst’s samba final bow at Chloé and Christian Louboutin’s contemporary dance extravaganza that capped off the day, Thursday’s shows embraced the joy of performance.
The Front Row:
Thursday was a big day for spotting celebrities of every stripe, with huge crowds assembled outside of nearly every show venue. The Chloé FROW had Venus Williams, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Olivia Wilde, Issa Rae, and Kelly Rowland.
Givenchy’s featured Jared Leto, Sigourny Weaver, and Cher. (It was a delight to hear Gen Z kids screaming, ‘We love you, Cher!’ as she and Alexander ‘A.E.’ Edwards posed for more adorable couple photos.) Leto also turned up at Christian Louboutin, along with Sabrina Carpenter. And Pamela Anderson made her second appearance of the week, at Isabel Marant. Wearing a sunshine yellow shift dress, she was one of the most demurely dressed VIPs amongst a sea of crystal-mesh bodysuits and cut-outs.
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At Schiaparelli, Michelle Yeoh flashed a trompe l’oeil gold manicure glove and Kylie Jenner wore a pedicure boot peeking out from underneath a sparkly gown that looked as though she had been poured into it.
The Contrast:
Matthew M. Williams’ Givenchy show was held on the grounds of l’École Militaire inside an ephemeral white structure built by architect Gabriel Calatrava from rented and reusable materials. But the evening wear-heavy collection, which featured hourglass tailoring sculpted with half moon curves along necklines and hemlines, felt quite timeless. A series of maxi dresses with winged open backs worn with gloves — sometimes just one — wouldn’t have looked out of place on Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
The Isabel Marant collection likewise explored contrasts through unexpected fabrications: T-shirts were made from luxurious silk crepe and dresses crafted from casual cotton jersey. Gauzy knits and little tap shorts were grounded with substantial wooden clogs.
The Casting:
Schiaparelli marked an alignment of the stars — or at least of the Jenners. Kendall Jenner closed in a red dress embroidered with sequins and glittering faux nails that matched her sister Kylie’s equally form fitting number on the FROW. Shalom Harlow opened in an black hourglass jacket trimmed in the house’s signature measuring tape, and the show featured more Schiaparelli regulars including Amber Valletta, Liu Wen, Irina Shayk, Imaan Hammam, and Abby Champion.
Gabriela Hearst, who is Uruguayan American, has long used the runway as a platform for celebrating the rich diversity of South and North American cultures, both at Chloé and at her eponymous New York label. Hearst’s Chloé sendoff featured Afro-Taíno actor Indya Moore along with models Quannah Chasinghorse, Paloma Elsesser, Devyn Garcia, Celeste Romero, Sara Caballero, Nazarit Machin, Lara Menezes, Jennifer Matias, and América González, who together represented Indigenous, African, and Latin identities.
The Performance:
During the Chloé finale walk, musicians, dancers, singers, and porta-bandeira flag bearers from the Rio de Janeiro samba school Mangueira performed at the centre of the runway in bespoke Chloé designs incorporating their signature green and pink colours. When Hearst came out to take her bow in a pink Mangueira T-shirt and black leather skirt, she started dancing to their syncopated rhythms, and the runway became a full-fledged dance party. Even some of the models shimmied their way off the catwalk.
The day ended with more dancing at the Loubi Show, a Christian Louboutin contemporary dance extravaganza held in a 1,000-seat amphitheatre at the Sorbonne. Staged by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui — an acclaimed choreographer and director who was worked with the Paris Opera Ballet, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé — it featured bionic pop artist Viktoria Modesta wearing a spike prosthetic embellished with Louboutin rhinestones that matched the sparkling boots worn by a sixteen-member ensemble.
