Catwalks are great for picking up the mood and aesthetic of a collection, and seeing how the clothes look and move in the real world (well, as real as a series of tall, thin, beautiful models can make it). But the re-sees – where the collections are placed in a showroom for closer examination by buyers and press – often offer a new perspective on the show, which flies by in a 10-minute rush. At the Hermès and Dior re-sees, the accessories got a proper look-in, and the details of tailoring, trimming and the silkiness and lightness of the leathers and silks were all made clearer than is possible on a catwalk.
It’s also an opportunity to see new lines, such as Louis Vuitton’s Lockit jewellery line – tiny gold padlocks and keys on necklaces, bracelets and rings, inspired by the thousands of “love locks” attached by courting couples to the railings of Paris’s Pont des Arts and other bridges.
Vanessa Tugendhaft, too, used the opportunity to launch a perfume line in which each bottle includes a tiny diamond, ready, once the perfume is finished, to be sent back to the shop, restrung and returned to the purchaser as a bracelet. If, in other words, the catwalks are all about the grand impression, the re-sees and appointments represent detail. And when you’re shopping, it’s the detail that counts.
From Hermès
From Dior
The jewellery is Louis Vuitton
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More from Paris Fashion Week
Day one: moody romanticism from Van Noten and Rochas Day two: Arora, Copping, Lanvin – a season to be contrary Day three: grown-up glamour at Dior, Anne-Valérie Hash, Roland Mouret – and rainbows at Issey Miyake In pictures: Backstage at Viktor & Rolf Day four-five: Power play at Jean Paul Gaultier, Loewe and Andrew Gn Day six: graphic Hermès, glamorous Giambattista Valli and the black and blues at Saint Laurent Day seven: clean energy charms for Chanel Final day: Elie Saab and Louis Vuitton shine as the curtain falls like the rain in Paris
The National’s fashion correspondent Gemma Champ will be writing every day from Paris Fashion Week. She has previously blogged from London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week.
