The Paris Fashion Week, which takes place twice yearly, returned again this year and in grand style. For me, this is the most highly anticipated fashion week in the world, and that’s by no means surprising. Many top designer brands like Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel, and Christian Dior are French, so Paris is more or less the world’s Fashion Capital. Also, Paris Fashion Week marks the end of Fashion Month in general.
This year, the second Paris Fashion Week was held from September 26th to October 4th. I dare say it was shocking, or rather somewhat funny, seeing Kanye West stomping through the dystopian-themed catwalk for the first time in history. This was undoubtedly one of my greatest highlights of the show. Dressed in a black oversized multi-picket combat jacket and baggy leather pants, the 45-year-old rapper made his debut with a Balenciaga-branded mouthguard.
But that was just my first surprise of the evening. A few minutes later, supermodel Bella Hadid almost led the world to believe she would close the show wearing nothing but a G-string. But you could see the awe in everyone’s eyes as two men began spraying her body with some substance resembling white paint, which quickly took the form of an off-shoulder white gown. If you ask me, this is one Fashion Week moment I’ll never forget in a hurry.
With other highlights such as Dracula’s cape-inspired gown and Loewe’s 3D-inspired outfit that looked like a picture from an 80s video game, the September/October Paris Fashion Week beats the inaugural one held in January. The Paris Fashion Week Menswear held from 18-23 January 2022 highlighted the
subtle transition from transitional menswear conventions to bolder and braver silhouettes. There were a lot of baggy trousers and shirts styled in a variety of loud colours. Stylish streetwear, but the show just wasn’t as awe-inspiring as the just concluded and final Fashion Week of 2022. Indeed, they saved the best for last.
– By Maria Athanasiadou
