Straw Bag Snippets: PFW
A little history lesson, some fashion thoughts on the Paris Fashion Week, and where I'm spending my time
Paris Fashion Week came to a close today, but I’m still craving more. This edition of Fashion Week is the first time in a long while that I've truly felt invigorated by luxury fashion. Perhaps it's the effect of living in the city, watching show-goers glide from venue to venue during my coffee breaks and daily metro rides. Or maybe it's the abundance of street-style inspiration, even richer and more captivating than Paris’s already overflowing norm.
This renewed excitement prompted me to reflect on why the city remains so captivating. Paris built its fashion capital status on haute couture, dating back to 1868, when Charles Frederick Worth helped establish what’s now known as the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode—the syndicate mostly known as the official organizer of the Paris Fashion Week calendar. Over the years, it’s evolved continuously to keep up with fashion’s many transformations, navigating several renamings, mergers, and restructurings to embrace the industry’s expanding facets.
The 60s saw a shift, with haute couture’s popularity declining in favor of more accessible, yet still fashionable, designs. After WWII especially, couture was increasingly perceived as exclusive, unrelatable, and out of step with the era’s rapidly evolving society. American and Italian designers took note, making strides in ready-to-wear production and proving that fashion no longer needed to be custom-made or exclusive to the elite. In Paris, Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche line was revolutionary in popularizing prêt-à-porter, perfectly aligned with the city’s emerging lifestyle driven by young, contemporary artists and writers in the Latin Quarter who embraced an alternative, freer way of life. Notably, Gaby Aghion, founder of Chloé, had earlier pioneered the concept of luxury ready-to-wear fashion in the 1950s, coining the term "prêt-à-porter."
By the 70s, prêt-à-porter was in full swing, with designers and industry leaders like Pierre Bergé, Sonia Rykiel, Kenzo, and Emanuel Ungaro spearheading its recognition through the creation of Le Groupe Mode et Création. This initiative led to a significant restructuring of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode and the formalization of Paris Fashion Week in 1973.
And now, a few thoughts on three shows:
I don’t think I’m alone in thinking this was the standout show of the week. Between Alexa Chung and Tish Weinstock gracing the runway, the return of the Paddington bag, and the delicious silk dresses and oversized sleeves that floated effortlessly, Chemena truly captured the maximalist, boho spirit with just the right amount of undone.
Over the weekend, I shared a video exploring my fascination with the show's choice to use Operating Theatre during the runway presentation. The opening lines of “Spring is Coming With A Strawberry in the Mouth” are unmistakable, a quiet nod to those that understood the reference. Really a detail too specific to ignore, and too deliberate not to credit.
Truth be told, Chanel didn’t fully capture me this time around. Apart from a few ruffles that spoke to my Pierrot sensibilities, the chunky knits and bows galore felt like they were trying to play catch-up. This is the last collection designed by the interim team before Blazy comes in, and I’m excited to see what he does. Can we get another Chanel Supermarket show?
It was a little disconnected and the music too distracting, feeling somewhat stark compared to their last show in September, which radiated a liberated spirit and a real sense of attitude.
Palais d’Iéna looked ultra serious with its Miu Miu touch. Within a mere twenty minutes, the show’s soundtrack danced from Japanese jazz fusion into sci-fi techno with a touch of vaporwave elevator music.
Sciura-approved furs, straps falling off shoulders, pointy bras, Lou Doillon walking—this show scratched an itch in my brain. I was also happy to see the return of giant earrings, brooches, and boleros—vintage treasures that are too often overlooked.
The past few weekends, it’s just been me, an empty movie theater, and the occasional stretch of sunshine for company.
I really fell off my movie watching game these past two years, and thankfully, Paris is a cinephile’s playground. This place has tons of movie theaters, big and small, new releases and old favorites. Right now, I love catching showings of older films at Cinéma Christine, a tucked-away theatre on a side street in the 6th arrondissement, its lobby built into a wall.
There aren’t any snacks for sale, but I sneak my own in and open them before the film starts (I found a spot in Paris that sells Nerds Gummy Clusters). The first time I went, I caught an afternoon showing of Lynch’s The Elephant Man.
Last weekend, we saw a glimpse of spring here. So many people on bikes and sitting along the Seine, every terrace completely full. It’s back to being cloudy as I type this, but I like knowing that spring is just behind the curtain, waiting for its cue.
Some recommendations for you:
Song: “Sepiatone” by Sepiatone if you want to feel a little mischievous and dreamy while walking down the street.
I bought a pair of very well-worn Aeyde ‘Belinda’ boots secondhand four months ago, and I was able to give them a new life. They’re still holding up magnificently. Snag a pair of these in your size if you see them online.
I was introduced to La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Hand Cream and it really is the best one I’ve tried. r/SkincareAddiction recommends using it on the face too. Trying that trick out ASAP.
Thanks for reading <3 See you in the next one.