PARIS S/S 2010: GIAMBATTISTA VALLI, ESTRELLA ARCHS & BARBARA BUI

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

After debuting his first line just four years ago at Paris Fashion Week, Giambattista Valli has quickly risen to the top as one of the premier designers in the industry. Combining Haute Couture with classic Silhouettes; animal prints, dip dyed feathers and ruffles added a unique touch to the leggy cocktail dresses that were the mainstay of the show. Departing from the 50’sesque  style bell skirts from his last collection, this years Spring collection featured leggy cocktail dresses and chic mini’s aimed at a younger twenty something jet setter audience.

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ESTRELLA ARCHS

Newly appointed as the chief designer for the Emanuel Ungaro Fashion house, this Spanish designer is finally getting the recognition she deserves. After graduating with honors from Central Saint Martins in London she went on to work for some of the most well known fashion houses in the industry before establishing her own label ‘Estrella Archs’.  Nina Ricci, Cacharel, Emilio Pucci, Christian Lacroix, Prada and Hussein Chalayan  to name a few. Archs SS 2010 line is simplistic yet poetic with clean lines, pure forms and ultra feminine shapes.

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BARBARA BUI

Drawing inspiration from Woodstock rock chic, 70’s rebellious freedom and optimism of flower power the collection is what Barbara Bui describes as one part self-conscious sophisticate and one part laid-back rebel. This collection is every part of what will be seen on BOBOs and cashed up 20 year olds who find it hard to rummage through marché aux puces. Opening with the sounds of Lenny Kravitz signalled the new wave of bohemian chic. It also signalled that next summer girls will no longer have to raid the cupboards of their mothers’ vintage for coverted originals from the 70’s. Barbara Bui has re-done them all for you. From glomesh to the patchwork leather vests and dresses to laced up leather jackets and shorts. Maybe some pieces should have stayed in the 70’s such as the Ziggy Stardust silver leather pants but the version in silver python were rock chick hot. A lot of this collection has been seen before and most of the time it was like watching a collection full of fabulous finds from an op-shop or having an acid flashback while watching a Woodstock documentary. The laced she used was exquisite and all the pieces cut in the Victorian lace were beautiful. All in all the collection lacked anything new but it has a commercial viability and she knows what her customer wants.

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Reporting by Indira Cesarine and Wil Ariyamethe ; photography by Earnest Aregail Salgot exclusively for XXXX MAGAZINE, 2009