Paris Fashion Week fall/winter 2019: Givenchy, Valentino and Thom Browne

TWO MOST SURPRISING MOMENTS
1. The language of love was interpreted with poetry at Valentino fall/winter 2019 runway, from a quote that goes straight to the heart, "The people you love become ghosts inside of you and like this you keep them all alive", to the translation on clothing with poems embroidered on the dresses (but only visible to the wearer) and with visuals of lovers, to a booklet of poems Valentino On Love on every guest's seat. This book gathered contributions from four contemporary poets such as Greta Bellamacina, Mustafa The Poet, Yrsa Daley-Ward and Robert Montgomery, with intimate expressions of freedom inspired by Pierpaolo Piccioli's creations for Valentino, who never does wrong with romantic gowns evoking emotions.
2. An open roof saw the ghostly night sky befall at Jardin des Plantes, the show venue of Givenchy fall/winter 2019 by Clare Waight Keller. Being the designer behind the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle’s wedding dress, the world’s probably expecting a lot from Keller. Puffy clouds of mist blew on the (longest and pitch black) runway. The suspense could kill. Within minutes, we saw tailoring fabrics, pleated florals, and nocturnal allure. CWK did not disappoint, though all three themes seem to be a little messy in a single collection.

FOUR TRENDIEST ACCESSORIES
1. Ankle boots with Thom Browne’s signature tri-striped red-blue-white fabric twisted into a decorative bow fronted the footwear. Similarly, this fashion has gone to the dogs (bags, I mean).
2. The hat trend is not going away. Pierpaolo Piccioli has gone an extra mile to have them made in lace, printed with garden florals or embellished with lightweight feathers. Don’t make us pick; we love them all.
3. Givenchy's versatile mini bag with a (detachable) strap could work either by tying to the waist (similar to a bum bag but more elegant), chained as a shoulder bag, or just carried on its own as a clutch.
4. Round necklace pouches, or crossbody pouches as seen on several collars at Givenchy fall/winter 2019 collection. They make a functional 2-in-1 accessory and credit card/lipstick holder.

SEVEN(ISH) FAVOURITE LOOKS
1. Thom Browne fall/winter 2019 look #19: Browne served us some executive realness with his perspective of office wear — pinstripe overcoat with a tailored grey suit, very precisely styled with gold wire-framed monocles suspended from the back of sleek masculine hair-do.
2. Thom Browne fall/winter 2019 look #35: master of layering. Red and white tweed long coat thrown over on a two-piece knee-length skirt suit won us over with contrasting double-facing white tweed lapel, sleeves and matching patch on skirt hem.
3. Thom Browne fall/winter 2019 look #55: peeking through the Venetian shutter blinds into the Mad Men office setting, a 1923 self-portrait of American painter Romaine Brooks’ picture was placed on every desk, replicated and printed throughout the collection.
4. Valentino fall/winter 2019 look #27: the poetic interpretation of love was painted in the form of overlapping iconographic visuals of lovers embracing each other or kissing, a continuing collaboration between Piccioli and Undercover’s Jun Takahashi since the last men’s collection.
5. Valentino fall/winter 2019 look #51: if butterflies can spark joy, Piccioli entrusted these romantic creatures to evoke happiness through his sheer tulle gowns as poet Yrsa Daley-Ward puts it, “There will be more love, there will be more love”.
6. Givenchy fall/winter 2019 look #2: sharp tailoring with a play on exaggerated shoulders (many brands seem to have done strong shoulders this season too), hint... trend alert.
7. Givenchy fall/winter 2019 look #32: pleats, please. Ultra-feminine looks are introduced by mixing florals and pleats, which are perfect for Sunday gatherings.
8. Givenchy fall/winter 2019 look #57: take center stage with evening allure in the purest form of bejewelled gowns.

All coverage from Paris Fashion Week fall/winter 2019.