It’s a confusing time in the world of fashion at the moment....

With designers experimenting with a “new look”; pushing the idea of a strong, independent woman who doesn’t follow the trends. Simplicity and practicality are taking centre stage where garments are favouring male tailoring against a mixture of textures. But as there are no rules or dead-set trends at the moment, we can see an assortment of influences for the collections on the catwalks.

Viktor&Rolf focused on transforming their outfits. This show was incredible as we saw the duo deconstruct the outfits bit by bit and piece them back together on another model to construct a whole new outfit. It really was a very well-thought out performance and so interesting to see their talent for styling a simple garment in so many different ways to create so many different looks. It just goes to show that you don’t have to spend a fortune each season to replenish your wardrobe. If you focus on getting the basic staples you can mix and match to create all your outfits without breaking the bank. And these two designers have just proved this to all of us!

http://www.look.co.uk/pictures/paris-fashion-week-aw-2010-highlights/lanvin-autumnwinter-20102011-catwalk-show-at-paris-f-2

The Lanvin fashion show was one of the many shows who promoted this new woman. The models appeared with strong, straight, black, fringed hair, reflecting the simple and linear lines of the tailoring. Alber Ebaz, the artistic director of Lanvin, emphasised the return of fashion to the person inside the clothes, commenting “It’s about what comes between the front and the back: it’s about woman.” He, along with many others, are returning to the roots of the purpose of fashion; to reflect the style of the person who is wearing the clothes.

http://www.look.co.uk/pictures/paris-fashion-week-aw-2010-highlights/lanvin-autumnwinter-20102011-catwalk-show-at-paris-f-2

Personally, one of my favourites was the Chanel catwalk, which never fails to surprise. Following the hay barn setting of last season, Karl Lagerfield chose to parade the models around huge ice bergs for his winter collection, where they splashed their yeti fur boots through icy water. It was almost a shame to see such beautiful shoes and dresses soaking up the water, but it all added to the cold, clean image. The models were wrapped up in furry coats, shorts and even fur trousers! If anyone, this man is the one who has got me looking forward to our next cold winter.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/paris-fashion-week/7405613/Paris-Fashion-Week-Chanel-autumnwinter-201011-collection.html?image=22

John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier both had the same ideas of finding their inspiration through different ethnic groups. Their collections displayed mixtures of patterns, materials, shapes and styles from backgrounds including Africa, Spain, China, North America and Italy. However, they didn’t just create one outfit influenced by one country and the next influenced by another. The interesting part was seeing how they managed to blend all these cultures into one. This reflected the world’s attitude today, where people are keen to visit all these places to learn about all the different cultures.

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashionweek/catwalk/26604/0/4/john-galliano-a-w-2010-paris-fashion-week.html?notrunning

And now to a more sombre subject, where the week witnessed the final collection of one of the greatest fashion designers, Alexander McQueen. He really created a spectacular collection, where every piece was beautifully detailed, emphasising the designer’s passion for his career. Spectators admired all the garments, noticing all the tiny details to every piece which is what made this designer so great. Towering crocodile skin boots, with twisted gold carved platforms, jewel encrusted bodices and billowing skirts all shone in this private showing. He was influenced by the beauty of Old Masters Paintings and Byzantine art, and this grandness and beauty really shone through in his collection. The fashion world really took a blow with the announcement of Alexander McQueen’s death and his last collection only emphasised why he was considered so great. “Each piece is unique, as was he” and I only hope that his work is carried on by his team.

http://www.elleuk.com/catwalk/collections/alexander-mcqueen/autumn-winter-2010/review/(img)/11