Rock chick chic and flowing silhouettes

SAINT LAURENT’S Hedi Slimane sent out a string of short, shimmery looks at Paris fashion week on Monday, hours after Ellen DeGeneres wore three of the designer’s tuxedos to present the Oscars.
Lots of tiny sequinned skirts and dresses were teamed with knee-high boots and heavy kohl-lined eyes in the designer’s fourth ready-to-wear collection for the illustrious fashion house.
Famed for his skinny tailoring, Slimane has been the talk of the fashion world since being appointed in 2012 and proceeding to produce a series of very un-Yves Saint Laurent collections, described as celebrations of the “rich rock chick” by industry bible Women’s Wear Daily.
Monday’s collection lacked the grunge of a year ago, but for now at least Slimane seems to be sticking to his rock chick aesthetic.
British designer Stella McCartney, meanwhile, offered a collection of modern, feminine silhouettes for autumn/winter 2014/15.
Singer Rihanna was flamboyant in the front row in fuchsia lipstick and orange dark glasses with more star power on the catwalk from model Cara Delevingne in an asymmetrical knit dress with overlong sleeves.
The designer gave zips a decorative rather than merely functional quality with other looks featuring suspended fringing draped sensually over the body.
Trousers in claret, emerald green and grey were narrow and stirruped, contrasting with McCartney’s oversized parkas, while tie-dye made an appearance in two looks including a sexy grey, blue and white silk dress.
Footwear was masculine and sporty with squared off-toes and wooden platforms.
At Leonard, Chinese-born French designer Yiqing Yin impressed with a debut collection using traditional house prints that she said she had remixed and recoloured.
The collection was full of long, fluid silhouettes likely to be popular in Asia where the French brand has more than 100 shops.
“I really drew on the (Leonard) archives, especially the 1960s and 1970s which I found more interesting (and) modern than what has been done recently. There was more energy, it was more international,” she said backstage.
The Leonard woman was a “nomad for modern times”, she said.
The designer, who left China for France at the age of four, had until recently been known largely for her experimental couture style.
But she won plaudits last year when she dressed “Amelie” star Audrey Tautou for her turn as mistress of ceremonies at the Cannes film festival.
The fluttery, micro-pleated “Absinthe” dress in mint organza and silk chiffon she created for the occasion was described as a “work of art” by fashion website Red Carpet Fashion Awards.
The previous day saw shows by Chloe, Celine and Maxime Simoens.
Chloe designer Clare Waight Keller mixed soft, pastel coloured femininity with untamed attitude while Celine’s Phoebe Philo was all about easy elegance on day six of Paris fashion.
Dresses in folded layers of chiffon and drop panelled skirts embodied the essence of traditional Chloe woman in Waight Keller’s autumn/winter 2014/15 collection.
Wildcat furs with tangled fringing and padded leathers, however, added a sense of mystery and magnetism, according to the young British designer who has been at the helm at Chloe since May 2011.
Waight Keller made her name at Pringle of Scotland –much loved by golfers for its diamond patterned jumpers –where she reinvented the heritage brand as contemporary fashion.
Stand-out looks in her collection included elegant wrap coats, long column dresses in matte georgette and culottes teamed with knee-high suede boots.
Prints, meanwhile, came in shadow dots and geometric shapes.
Elsewhere, Celine’s Phoebe Philo, one of Waight Keller’s predecessors at Chloe, kept faith with her oversized silhouettes –now all over the shops partly due to her – but also offered a string of slim fitting looks.
Still largely minimalist, feathers, coloured stones and a furry belt with one end trailing like a tail were subtly worked in.
Other looks included a long black tailored coat with two vertical lines of white buttons linked by a horizontal one and a witty asymmetrical black and white wrap skirt and top.
French designer Maxime Simoens revealed that her black, white and silver only collection had been inspired by Oscar contender “Gravity” and Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: Space Odyssey”.
“The idea was to do something very pure, as if every model was a little star... to dream a bit, while staying in ready-to-wear, because what we do has to be saleable,” she said.
Some evening dresses looked ready for the red carpets where French actresses like Lea Seydoux and Berenice Bojo have already showcased Simoens’ creations.
Paris fashion week neared the end of its nine-day ready-to-wear marathon on Tuesday with Karl Lagerfeld’s latest Chanel collection. The collections wrapped yesterday with ex-Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere making his debut at Louis Vuitton following the departure of Marc Jacobs last year.