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Highlights of Paris fashion week 2016

Only the best of the best show their collections during Paris Fashion Week, so you know when it comes around you are in for a real treat. The elegance from Paris proves there is no competition when it comes to which fashion week is best.

The typical Parisian fashion is full of chiffon, corsets, ruffles, and lace, but every season they are reinvented and incorporated in different ways to maintain the elegance.

Karl Lagerfeld brought the Chanel runway back to the basics with all-white floor to ceiling and gold ballroom chairs. All the Chanel signatures made appearances: tweed suits, lace, and strands upon strands of pearls.

Boater hats completed each look in a fashionable and sophisticated way. To make the style stand out, Lagerfeld brought out bright pinks and blues.

Giambattista Valli models gracefully strutted down the runway in chiffon cocktail dresses. Valli created a collection consisting of elegance, which every women wants hanging in her closet. Each piece had a feminine touch to it, and most were flourishing with floral embroidery or patterns. The high-collared necks added a unique style to the dresses.

Olivier Rousteing changed things up a bit in Balmain with Kim Kardashian being his muse and inspiration. Social media blew up when he had Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid swap hair colors.

“I think Balmain was the best in Paris Fashion Week. I liked how he made the corset style, and it definitely matched his inspiration’s lifestyle. I really loved the neutral colors he used as well, and overall I just think Rousteing was best,” said sophomore Amanda Busco.

Drawing inspiration from the Palace of Versailles, Rousteing created a collection fit for a queen. Corsets, tassels, ruffles, lace and pearls perfectly complemented an airy color palette of pale pink, cream and soft grays and blues. The monochrome neutral outfits and padded bubble miniskirts emphasizing a woman’s curves mirrored his famous muse’s closet.

Stella McCartney was proud to say no animals were harmed in the making of her collections, unlike many other designers. McCartney put an amazing collection down the runway, filled with puffer jackets with no feathers and skin-free cropped bomber jackets. This was the season of puffer jackets, but McCartney set herself apart from the crowd by embellishing hers to make them fit for evening wear.

Valentino’s collection and show take a step back from the chaos the fashion world is headed into, and illustrates living in the moment and slowing down. Taking inspiration from ballet, the collection included everything from warm-up outfits for the ballet studio to tulle skirts for the final performance. Monochrome turtle necks, footless tights, silk velvet, and embroidered skirts made the collection utterly beautiful.

Raf Simmon’s resignation from Dior has not stopped studio heads Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux from holding down the fort and producing beautiful collections as the search for a new creative director continues. Black suits, pencil skirts and jackets took over the runway at Dior. Off-the-shoulder styles were popular among a few designers and especially prominent in this collection with different fabrics and textures, including beautiful fur pieces. Every look was very polished and sleek from the clothes to the hair and make-up.

Senior Brandon Martinez says, “Dior was pretty irrelevant after Heidi Slimane left since Raf Simmons’ regularly gothic and gloomy designs just did not mesh well with the normally bright and vibrant Dior. However, without having to worry about Dior, Simmons can get back to his own brand, which is what I’m most excited about.”

Hermès styles of leather and suede are two materials creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski repeatedly masters, and she certainly did not fall short this season. Flowing floor-length skirts and dresses elegantly swept down the runway. A rich color palette of maroon, olive green and mustard yellow made this collection warm and perfect for the bitter cold of winter.

Demna Gvasalia sent her first Balenciaga collection down the runway in Paris this season. Looking back at Cristobal Balenciaga’s archive, she pulled inspiration from the shapes used and created the statement red puffer jacket and many other designs that had volume and a unique shape to them.

Whose designs showed more characteristic than any other?

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