Paris On a Chill Pill

This Paris collection will revolutionise fashion: Instead of thrusting urgently forward, as has been the trajectory of fashion in the last decade, this season sees fashion changes slowing down. Designers turned away from making extreme statements, and took baby steps forwards. Some labels have even taken steps backwards and went back-to-basics: Stella McCartney’s collection was almost timid in its stripped down practicality (pinch yourself - is this Paris?) and Valentino’s designers, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have gone back to the label’s roots (as have other labels seeking safety in the tried and true) of pretty lace dresses. Pretty, and pretty safe. They were lauded for this un-radical turn.
There’s certainly been plenty of safe, unchallenging white – clothes the colour of a blank first page, the freshness of a new chapter. There is a feeling that designers are polishing their visions instead of greedily grabbing for new trends, and cleaning out the excesses of the past (the bold shoulders, the gold hardware, the Baroque door-stopper shoes and decorated handbags). Cliched as it sounds, less is definitely more this season. Even usually challenging designers gave their collections a lighter touch: Viktor & Rolf, the designing duo given to heavily conceptual designs in the past sent out an angelic white collection full of puff sleeved-shirts and soft ruffles and Tao Kurihara, the young Comme des Garçons protege, was all sweetness and light, presenting sugary ruffles and naive smocked blouses in innocent gingham. Is pretty the new black?
Other trends include the gentlest of colours – nudes and pastels sharpened by sporty pings of primary brights and bracing stripes. These are all shades of the schoolyard, and represent rejuvenation. There are plenty of frou frou and frills (often lace and chiffon), but these billow and float, injecting a buoyancy, and a child-like charm. Shorts worn every way freshened the day wear, while skirts were mostly longer, and full and lightly fluttering. Shoes have gotten down to earth, and are now simple versions of the crazy shapes we have been seeing. The freshest of these are flat sandals, even for night, instead of some towering atrocity — even the humble ballet pump looked new. These simple accessories are a symbol of fashion’s new relaxed mood, a big step away from the tired idea of change for the sake of change.
(My complete Paris report will appear in Business Times on Saturday. Pictured: My favourite collection - Dries Van Noten)