La Paris Fashion Week, it goes from the mega show to the little music of Dries Van Noten, via Couture entering the rooms of the Louvre. That's so much the better.
Emotion at Dior
Sometimes – less often than we think – fashion moves people, in the good sense of the word – “fashion dramas” are definitely out in 2025. This was the case on Friday January 24. That day, Kim Jones OBE admitted to having cried when he learned that he had been elevated to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor – Dame Anna Wintour deigned to present him with this decoration during a devilish Parisian cocktail party – at Laurent’s – and terribly British in the choice of guests – from the Lady in question to Robert Pattinson via Stephen Jones.
This gloomy Friday was also the day when Kim Jones brought tears to the eyes of the audience gathered for his Dior Men collection, a purity of chic and sophistication, an echo of Christian Dior's H line, a couture spirit and a ability to arouse the desire to purchase – a very delicate but powerful balance that defines a look. And then, the mastery and surprise of a pink shine on a coat. And then, the power of the parade in its very minimalism. And then, the soundtrack – Michael Nyman for Alexander McQueen – like a palimpsest, raising the emotion several notches while placing the show in fashion history. Well done, Sir Knight! G.D.
Dries sans Dries
Welcome poetic interlude in the middle of the fashion shows, with the presentation of Dries Van Noten for next winter, in the cozy setting of his Parisian showroom. If the Antwerp designer has distanced himself from the ready-to-wear collections – while continuing to oversee perfumes and beauty, as well as the design of the stores – we are reassured to see that his legacy is perpetuated by his teams with let’s say it, a certain mastery. And even if this collection is not yet signed by the hand of his just-appointed successor, Julian Klausner, the men's studio has delivered a sharp proposition with a mastered balance between know-how, creativity and realism. That is to say that there is a fashion statement, a readable artistic direction, even if it is the work of a collective, and above all beautiful clothes.
Nothing stands out in this collection, inspired by the film The Wild Boysitself based on the eponymous novel by William S. Burroughs, in which thugs, after having attacked and caused the death of their literature professor, are sent to an island where they are gradually transformed into women. It is this transition from uninhibited violence to a form of gentleness that this collection tells – any resemblance with the current international context is probably not accidental – but always in a subtle way, without ever falling into excess. All the codes of the Belgian house are carefully cultivated: floral prints, silk, embroidery, knitwear, contrasting materials; attention to detail obviously, just look at the lining of the jackets, even more sophisticated on the inside than on the outside. EP
The Louvre in sewing
When the lively and seductive George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham – yes, the Buckingham of Three Musketeers –, arrived at the Louvre at the court of Louis XIII, his coat was entirely embroidered with pearls. Deliberately poorly sewn, they fell to the ground as the Duke advanced, and everyone rushed to pick up a souvenir of the munificence and power of the one who would steal the Queen's heart… Your Grace, your moment of glory on the podium vanities definitely belongs to History: fashion and couture are back at the Louvre, thanks to Olivier Gabet, director of the Department of Objects of Art.
Louvre Couture, which opened its doors on the evening of January 23, is not a “fashion exhibition”. It's a joyful and intelligent game of memories, a rediscovery of the treasures of the Louvre – among the collections of kings, suddenly the miracle of the Duke of Choiseul's snuffbox -, an amebian song between objects, tapestries, dresses and sculptures, their own secret lives, their souls – yes, their souls –, their shadows – ghosts can be lovable. It is the very essence of the French spirit. We rush to the Louvre. G.D.
-Jeanne without the Olympics
The name Jeanne Friot may be familiar to you. The Frenchwoman, champion of degendered fashion that would give the Trump administration a cold sweat, stood out during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games last summer. Remember, it was she who dressed Joan of Arc in armor traveling the Seine on a steel horse.
To Discover
Kangaroo of the day
Answer
And it was on the banks of the Seine that we found the designer, Thursday January 23, presenting her mixed collection for next fall-winter. A fashion show led by star model Farida Khelfa during which it was more a question of advocacy for inclusion than of clothes strictly speaking. Like many young Parisian labels, Jeanne Friot is aimed more at a community than at a clientele, even if one does not preclude the other. “Followers” came in numbers to warmly applaud his new proposal which is a continuation of the previous ones with a lot of “body positivism” and a feminist position.
In particular, we could read, plastered on a t-shirt, the maxim “A woman is somebody not some body”, a play on words which means “a woman is an individual, not a body”. A formula which echoes the feminist slogan “Our body, our choice”, a slogan cheerfully diverted on social networks by the masculinist supporters of the American president following his election: “Your body, my choice”, which does not require any translation. Beyond the societal message and the invitation to play with fashion codes to express an identity and an opinion, we wonder: will the designer benefit from any Olympic effect? The opening ceremony, let us remember, broke audience records on a global scale. EP
Related News :