Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection show at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Handout
How many designers do you know who have only had one job in their entire life? Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director, Sarah Burton, has been with the brand since its inception 30 years ago, first as the late designer’s assistant and then as his successor after his tragic suicide in 2010.
It was her final show for the British brand, and there was a bittersweet atmosphere to the show: it ended with a thunderous standing ovation, guests such as actress Cate Blanchett were visibly moved as Burton gave her speech, and model Naomi Campbell was moved to tears on the runway.
Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2024 Collection
This season’s collection was a celebration of the enchanting work she’s built since taking over McQueen: razor-sharp tailoring, sheer dresses with lavish metallic embroidery and subtle homages to the British Isles (in this case, the “blood-red” English rose), all the more fascinating for those of us who’ve been lucky enough to see every single one of her moving shows since she took over the label.
Balenciaga
Global PR director Robin Meeson models a look from Balenciaga’s Summer 2024 collection. As he explained in a recent interview with Style magazine, Balenciaga’s creative director Demna has thought deeply about how clothes are made. His focus on the pure art of dressmaking was evident in the brand’s Summer 2024 collection. The jacket, an item that embodies the art of tailoring more than any other, was the centerpiece of the show, contrasted with a techno soundtrack and the voice of actress Isabelle Huppert reciting in French all the steps involved in the making of a tailored jacket. (The invitation for the show was a vintage handbook detailing the same steps.) A sharp-shouldered look from Balenciaga’s Summer 2024 collection
While the casting was a bit of an IYKYK stunt for fashion insiders (top models like Liu Wen and Mariacarla Boscono walked the runway alongside respected fashion critic Cathy Horyn, Kardashian-Jenner friend Fai Khadra, trans model Amanda Lepore, and Balenciaga’s global PR director, Robin Meeson), the all-black lineup of sharp-shouldered jackets and layered outerwear, interspersed with floral dresses, hoodies, and joggers, marked another step in the evolution of the always-buzzworthy Parisian label.
LOEWE
Models wearing pieces from the Loewe Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear collection presented during Paris Fashion Week in Paris on September 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
This season’s best knitwear came from Loewe, the Spanish label helmed by tactile and texture-conscious designer Jonathan Anderson, who often likes to indulge in fanciful, wow-inducing moments on the runway, but this time he was a bit more down to earth, delivering a string of contemporary looks that cool girls around the world would love to wear.
From Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection. Photo: EPA-EFEStunning knitted capes with gold buttons had an almost royal air, yet were also very subdued when paired with denim trousers and flats. Preppy shirts and jumpers teamed with buttery soft leather shorts held up with pins and needles were striking in their artful simplicity, and this show firmly established Loewe as a go-to brand for modern luxury. Statement jewellery was by renowned sculptor Linda Benglis, whose work was also on display at the venue.
Valentino
Vittoria Ceretti wore “naked fashion” creations at Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear collection, presented on October 1. Photo: AP
Elegance and femininity have always been at the heart of Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s collections, and for Spring/Summer 2024, the designer celebrated the female body in a show that featured a performance from singer FKA Twigs and six backup dancers, all of whom wore nearly nude outfits that accentuated their supple figures.
Kaia Gerber wears a cutaway piece from Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear collection. Photo: AP
Clothes are meant to cover the body, but Piccioli wanted to show that clothes can be just as revealing. To that end, he and his atelier invented a technique called artolilievo, or high relief, in which fabric is sculpted into three-dimensional shapes, cut into the shapes of birds, flowers and fruit, and then wrapped around models’ bodies, revealing a little skin underneath. In a season when naked dress was the trend, Valentino’s interpretation was elegant and graceful, far from vulgar; it was discreet sensuality rather than overt sexuality.
Saint Laurent
Pieces from Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear collection during Paris Fashion Week on September 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
The theme of Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection is simple: a homage to one of the brand’s founder Yves Saint Laurent’s most beloved pieces: the safari jacket, famously immortalized in an iconic photo by photographer Francesco Scavullo featuring model Veruschka.
A model shows off the safari-chic look of Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear collection during Paris Fashion Week on September 26. Photo: AFP
The brand’s creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, also wanted to pay tribute to pioneering women, such as American aviator Amelia Earhart and French pilot Adrien Boland, resulting in a range of timelessly chic looks, with utilitarian jackets (called saharienne in French) reinterpreted in flowing fabrics like chiffon, with a modern twist that adds the sexiness that Vaccarello always brings to his collections.
Dior
A model arrives at French fashion house Dior’s Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week on September 26. Photo: Xinhua
Was the witch the original feminist? That was the thought on the mind of Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of womenswear at Parisian house Dior, a designer who has been championing women’s rights since her very first collection at the storied Parisian house. Given the inspiration for her Spring/Summer 2024 collection, monochrome hues unsurprisingly dominated the lineup, featuring some of Chiuri’s signature silhouettes, including a trench coat and A-line skirt combo and an ethereal sheer dress in black.
This season, Chiuri, a frequent collaborator with artists, commissioned Italian artist Elena Bellantoni to create a video installation juxtaposing images of sexist advertising with feminist slogans such as “Nobody is yours, Nobody is perfect, Everyone is performing.”
Dior’s Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear collection was presented in Paris on September 26. Photo: AP
Louis Vuitton
Models wear pieces from Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear fashion collection, shown in Paris on October 2. Photo: AP
The power of Louis Vuitton was on full display at the brand’s Spring/Summer 2024 show, held on Paris’ main shopping street, the Champs-Élysées. On one side, shoppers lined up outside the label’s flagship store to snap up the label’s coveted leather goods. On the other, huge crowds gathered to watch celebrities and other guests attend the show, held in a gutted 19th-century building where the brand will open its new space. The interior of the construction site was completely wrapped in orange recycled and recyclable polyethylene.
Models dressed for the Louis Vuitton fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear in Paris on October 2. Photo: AFP
The show opened with a pairing of bomber jackets and loose skirts. Mannish tailoring was present throughout, with boxy coats teamed with miniskirts and form-fitting sequined looks as highlights. The collection was yet another example of women’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière’s ability to blend Parisian sensibility with the futuristic aesthetic that is the hallmark of his work.
Chanel
A model shows off designer Virginie Viard’s creations as part of fashion house Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France on October 3. Photo: Reuters
After a week of sunshine, the final day of Paris Fashion Week was overcast, but Chanel still transported guests to the Provence town of Hyères to present its Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear collection.
A model shows off Chanel creations as part of the Spring/Summer 2024 collections during Paris Fashion Week in Paris on October 3. Photo: AFP
The walls of the venue were decorated with photos of Villa Noailles, a modernist building in the hills above Hyères, where photographers Inès and Vinoodh also shot teasers for the collection. The show opened with a beautiful striped tweed gown paired with thong sandals. These gorgeous flip-flops are sure to be a best-seller when they hit the shelves this summer. Swimwear, Breton stripes, floral appliqués and denim separates were all worn with thong sandals and ballerina flats to complete the range. It was a lovely breath of fresh air and a practical collection that will surely strike a chord with long-time Chanel aficionados and young luxury lovers alike.
Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2024
Can Schiaparelli maintain the momentum it has built over the past three years and move beyond the red carpet moments that made it a darling of celebrities and media? That is certainly the goal for the brand, which has built a strong following with its elegant separates and best-selling brass jewelry, and this season it is looking to win over a larger audience with its first sneakers, which will be unveiled at its Spring/Summer 2024 show. Late founder Elsa Schiaparelli was a famous Italian immigrant to the City of Light, so the runway presentation, held at the Italian Embassy on Paris’ Left Bank, paid homage to her surrealist aesthetic while also evolving creative director Daniel Rosebery’s repertoire. By now, his eye-catching black looks with gold accents are familiar, but he continues to mine Elsa’s signature features, such as her famous lobster and penchant for trompe l’oeil, offering plenty of new interpretations that never lack for the element of surprise.
Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney Spring/Summer 2024
Stella McCartney shows are always bright and fun. Models in beautifully cut tailored separates and barely there dresses sashay down the runway at breakneck speed to upbeat music. On a sunny morning, her Spring/Summer 2024 show took place in a food market just a stone’s throw from the Seine, where guests were treated to a “Stella’s Sustainable Market,” a collection of 21 stalls selling everything from vintage Stella pieces to beauty lines, children’s clothes, Adidas collaborations, and fresh juices. The clothes stayed true to her aesthetic, with menswear-inspired silhouettes, slinky dresses, and rich textures that women will want to wear come spring.
Mew Mew
Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2024
Miu Miu’s influence spread throughout Milan and Paris. The brand’s Autumn/Winter 2024 collection sparked the still-popular no-pants trend. It was clear to see that show-goers eschewed bottoms and were not afraid to try a daring look first shown by actress Emma Corrin. Corrin opened the Autumn collection in sequined briefs teamed with a beige jumper. For Spring/Summer, Miuccia Prada put her own spin on the preppy look at Prada’s sister brand. Hem lengths are getting shorter and shorter at Miu Miu, and this season, besides briefs, Bermuda shorts and men’s swimwear, Miuccia introduced a ruffled micro mini skirt, which will be on every magazine cover and worn by many celebrities next season. All of this was paired with very practical shoes, including flip-flops, sneakers from an ongoing collaboration with New Balance and brogues made in partnership with British brand Church’s.
