Vivienne Westwood, Hermès, Elie Saab et McQueen

A day of contrasts where two independent brands – Vivienne Westwood and Elie Saab – showed that there is real vitality in being autonomous, while the brands of two large groups – Hermès and McQueen – evoked sexual independence and power women.

Vivienne Westwood: progressive power

Vivienne Westwood has always been known for her progressive politics and has maintained this tradition by choosing the location of her parade, Place de la République, “where protest and history happens”, as the director of creation, Andreas Kronthaler.

It’s also nice to see that the house is still called Vivienne Westwood. Rabanne lost Paco, McQueen dropped Alexander, and Dior is usually printed without Christian.

A telling fact, because this show was very much like a special Vivienne Westwood show, since the DNA of the brand is alive and continues to arise in the soul of her widowed husband and creative partner, Andreas.

The name remains magical in the streets where thousands of fans flock to see the arrivals. They went wild when Cardi B arrived. After the show, the young woman once again made photographers swoon by engaging in a series of elaborate moves backstage, wearing a Vivienne Westwood cocktail dress.

Andreas titled this collection ‘Calibrate’, aiming for an “ultra-femininity… a cerebral ‘sexitude'”. He achieved this with figure-hugging sand-colored knits worn with a six-foot-long necklace, elegant crisp cotton shirtdresses with doll-like sleeves, gleaming wrap dresses, also paired with rows of pearls.

The “gentleman dandy” suit in bleached stripes was stunning, as were the formal dresses and monogram silk parkas. There were also low-cut leotards worn with sparkling leggings, very cool puffy skirts and a very masculine zoot suit or two.

Even the fans in the square applauded wildly, while Andreas triumphantly strolled around the podium with a long bow. All the applause was deserved.

Hermès: swinging singles and protesters

Dozens of single girls visited Hermès this season, where their walk was abruptly interrupted by three separate entrances onto the podium by animal rights protesters.

A strict color palette and an even stricter silhouette: bodycon style, (body conscious) but still quiet luxury. Women on a mission, although it is more often a romantic mission than a professional mission. Featured are a fine array of soft calfskin biker jackets, long zipped knit skirts and flirty twill jumpsuits.

A parade interrupted three times by demonstrators brandishing banners, who were expelled amid a great uproar. Given that this event was taking place inside the Republican Guard – where the cavalry regiment that parades with French presidents is located – it was a very bad day in terms of security.

The contrast is stark with the clothes, where everything was impeccable and effortless, although clearly made with great attention to detail. To finish in style: intricate leather and intreccio sheaths or tunics and short skirts worn with riding boots. Never in the history of Hermès have we seen so much skin in a fashion show.

As we said this was a collection for girls on a mission – late night.

Elie Saab: the beauty of Lebanon in a dark hour

Grace under pressure is the true mark of a gentleman, an adage that came to mind while looking at the excellent collection presented today by Lebanese designer Elie Saab.

See the parade

While his hometown of Beirut suffered horrific airstrikes and his grandparents had to leave the capital for safety, Elie Saab still managed to complete a collection and present it at the Palais de Tokyo Saturday afternoon.

It was one of his best shows in years, starting with stunning beach and pool looks, excellent pantsuits, stunning mesh beach cocktail dresses and linen safari jackets. An ideal wardrobe for a day at the beach in Byblos, Mykonos or Saint-Tropez, light years away from the bombed-out urban landscapes we see today in Lebanon.

Elie Saab reminds us of the incredible know-how of its Lebanese artisans by moving up a gear with majestic silk chiffon dresses adorned with raffia and pearls, or even astonishing sequin sheath dresses, printed with bucolic gardens.

Images which earned Elie Saab a standing ovation, prolonged cheers and which left several customers visibly in tears.

“I simply wanted to show another side of Lebanon, to present what is good about my country,” Elie Saab said after the parade.

McQueen: Banshees at the Beaux-Arts

McQueen closed the day with a parade dedicated to the most Irish myth, that of the banshee. An ideal image for a house like McQueen, where we find strong women with magical powers. Coming from the Gaelic “bean sí”, or woman of the fairy mound, the banshee became the female spirit who sang laments during burials, or even announced death.

The collection was displayed inside the Beaux-Arts, which appeared to be under renovation. But it was actually a Tom Scutt installation. The latter used replicas to give the impression that McQueen had ripped out the central tiles and built an all-steel podium. All covered in dry ice during the parade.

Designer Sean McGirr took inspiration from McQueen’s famous tailoring techniques to create studied suits, cut with large lapels and lightly gathered to give them waves and plenty of punch. Worn with 15-inch-long collars on men’s shirts, or tuxedo shirts with pique collars, their necks are finished with straps. The models walk in boots with wooden soles or sandals with loops.

But the key to the show is the high quality of the image creation – magnificent rag doll dresses made of torn chiffon and Swarovski crystals. A trio of crisp white torn tulle dresses, one of which ends in a dazzling gold sequined tailcoat with a bandit collar. All culminating in a sheath dress of silver mesh and crystals covering the head and feet – a magnificent banshee if ever there was one.

This show was Sean McGirr’s second for the house, and he certainly proved tonight that he has the design skills to carry this house.

His bow was greeted with loud applause. It’s an appointment that Kering’s leaders chose well.