Women’s Spring/Summer 2022 Fashion Week highlights, from Milan to Paris
Fashion & Leather Goods
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© ARR
LVMH Fashion Maisons – Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Christian Dior, Patou, Loewe, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton – showcased their women’s collections for the coming season during Spring/Summer 2022 Fashion Week in Milan and Paris.
For his second show at Fendi, Kim Jones explored the joyful irreverence that has always defined the Maison, alongside his vision for its future. The result is a modern perspective on disco-age glamour with a spotlight on the powerful femininity synonymous with the Fendi name. For this new collection, Kim Jones drew inspiration from creations by fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez. His brushstrokes appear in elegant abstraction across cream kaftans and silken shirting, while his figurative drawings are translated into intarsia leathers, intricate lace and shimmering jacquards. Lilies become enamel hair accessories and the Fendi First bag embodies bold attitude. The wardrobe created by Kim Jones celebrates a free and empowered woman.
For the latest collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri delves into the history of Dior and explores the heritage and aesthetic of Marc Bohan, long Creative Director of the Maison. In a tribute to early 1960s looks, the silhouettes reveal cuts and graphic effects transposed in yellow, green, red, navy, orange and raspberry. The colors also symbolize the spatial geometries at the heart of games dreamt up by artist Anna Paparatti to question the rules of art and life. Reflecting her works, the show’s scenography expresses the spirit of “an absurdist game”. The designs are combined in multiple ways with materials such as scuba and nylon that reinterpret volumes, revolutionizing the look of the woman who wears them. Silhouettes are conceived to shine on the dancefloor, evoking the legendary Roman nightclub the Piper Club, an emblem of freedom.
For the Spring/Summer 2022 collection, Patou Creative Director Guillaume Henry imagined “La Pantaisie”, a bold and fantastistical universe. With joyful refinement, the wardrobe sparks extraordinary daydreams. In creating the collection, the Parisian Maison’s designer found inspiration in the works of illustrator Gustave Doré to propose a subtle mélange of modernity and history. Colorful silhouettes play with volumes and materials, more classic suits are set off by myriad motifs. The clothes and accessories are crafted like canvasses that mirror the creativity and freedom of the woman who wears them.
Pucci’s “Ease on the Shore” collection evokes the founder of the House and his trailblazing vision of dressing modern women constantly on the go, ready to embark for exotic climes. The wardrobe in the new collection brings the sophisticated ease of a resort holiday to the city. Feminine silhouettes have an energetic sensuality and insatiable curiosity for the wide world. The pieces express immediacy, playfulness and the freedom to mix and match according to one’s desires. A purity of design informs the entire collection, from asymmetric tunics and mini skirts to halterneck dresses with open backs. Dynamic silhouettes are highlighted by solid hues of white, geranio, green, orange, turquoise and chocolate, mixed with prints. A refined summer style for everyday living.
“Neurotic, psychedelic, completely hysterical”, more than aptly encapsulates the new Loewe collection. Provocation, sensuality, movement and amusement break up the Loewe mould and chart new territory for the Maison. In designing this wardrobe, Jonathan Anderson found inspiration in the world of Renaissance painter Pontormo. Long dresses protrude in unexpected places, metal plates are integrated into coats and dresses, drawing an altered body. The clothes enter another dimension, building moments that add nuance to a vision of the now. New archetypes are defined in a collection that asks to be seen in flowing movement, an experimentation on living bodies.
For his first live audience runway show at Givenchy, Matthew M. Williams drew inspiration from artist Josh Smith – whose works are rendered on the clothes – as well as musician Young Thug, who created an exclusive soundtrack for the event. Presented at the Hotel Arena, the Spring/Summer 2022 collection explores the tension between extravagance and discipline, tradition and today. Both men’s and women’s looks propose contemporary takes on tailoring and fabrics from Monsieur de Givenchy’s archive. Accessories take the same approach, reimagined for the future. Craft-intensive savoir-faire is showcased in techniques including basket woven leatherwork, macramé and raffia.
Stella McCartney
For her Spring/Summer 2022 collection, presented at the Espace Niemeyer in Paris, Stella McCartney once again found inspriation in nature, along with a documentary on the transformative and transcendental qualities of mushrooms, in which she sees the future of fashion. The show opened with narrations by mycologist Paul Stamets and an otherworldly soundtrack created from mushrooms. The collection’s palette also took cues from nature’s energetic brightness and earthiness. Silhouettes were both fluid and geometric, echoing the diversity of nature. All shared the use of meticulously selected materials, from organic cotton linen to vegan materials, reflecting a conscious commitment to eco-responsibility. A high point of the collection was the special-edition Frayme Mylo™, the world’s first bag presented on a runway made from mushrooms (Bolt Thread’s Mylo™ mycelium leather).
For the Spring/Summer 2022 collection – presented in the Louvre’s Passage Richelieu –Nicolas Ghesquière found inspiration in the series “Irma Vep”, for which he designed costumes for characters. The runway referenced both visual codes from the series – dark, mysterious and ceremonial – as well as temporal elements with the appropriation of past ages, period pieces and timelessness. Looks in the collection are deconstructed and transformed from their original function. Trim, insets and embroidery showcase the opulence of the Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire and timeless classicism. The couture approach celebrates Nicolas Ghesquière’s fusion of generations. Looks bridge archetypes from multiple generations, heightening the overall sentimental value of the pieces. More than ever, the primacy of transmission resonates perfectly with the 200th anniversary of the birth of founder Louis Vuitton.