Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 began on Monday, September 26, 2022 and ended on Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 was one of the most talked about weeks in the fashion world ever. From Valentino’s models constantly wobbling down the runway, Yeezy’s Donda Academy performance and shirt controversy, Bella Hadid’s spray painted dress, Chanel’s plus-sized model, and so much more, there is definitely lots to be discussed.
Valentino’s show brought a new era of minimalism, with simple yet impactful silhouettes, but models staggered, wobbled, and stumbled their way around the room due to the heels, making it harder and harder to concentrate on the beautifully simple clothing in delectably muted neutral tones. Models are seen attempting to understand how the runway is laid out in videos that have gone viral on social media. Another image depicts one of the models in an entirely glittering ensemble struggling to remain upright as her ankles rocked back and forth. At one point, the model even stops to try to beg a guest to switch shoes. Unfortunately for Piccioli (Valeninos designer), there is no doubt that the collections focus is not on the clothing. This show featured many new models as well, but they didn’t know the paths of the runway, and struggled to walk in the seemingly tall and small shoes.
Yeezy’s first show since Fall 2020 kicked off with North West (Kim Kardashian and Ye’s daughter) and a large group of kids and teens wearing black pants and oversized black shirts with a baby photo on the back that appeared to be of Ye’s late mother, Donda. These kids were reportedly from Donda Academy, which is a Christian private school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in Simi Valley, California. Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), the brand owner of Yeezy, founded Donda Academy. Giving a speech before the models made their appearance, West, 45, wore the same rhinestone-covered flip-flops he sported with socks last week along with a black long-sleeved T-shirt with “White Lives Matter” written on the back.
Days later as Ye was interviewed on the Tucker Carlson show, he addressed his exchange with Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who criticized his shirt on social media. West had posted negative remarks about the editor, including a suggestion that Vogue head editor Anna Wintour would not like Karefa-Johnson’s boots, which led Gigi Hadid to call him a bully.
The publication defended Karefa-Johnson in an Instagram post Tuesday. “Vogue stands with Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, our global fashion editor at large and longtime contributor,” the message read, in part. “She was personally targeted and bullied. It is unacceptable.”
The finale of Coperni’s Spring 2023 collection involved Hadid appearing in nothing but underwear, then being spray painted by three specialists for nearly nine minutes. The substance is called fabrican, a patented spray-on material that looks like spider webs at first, until it makes contact with any surface such as skin, when it dries it hardens into a mummy-esque textile. To finish the slip dress, a designer gently manipulated the neckline while it was still drying and cut a dramatic leg slit.
The Parisian brand Coperni is interested in fusing science, craft, and fashion. Earlier this year, their hand blown glass bag carried by Doja Cat at the Grammy’s made headlines. Coperni’s co-founder said this dress was created in celebration of women’s silhouettes.
“Hadid’s dress was so incredible!” said San Marcos junior and fashion club member Claire Gamble, “The spray painting process was phenomenal.”
Chanel and Balmin are applauded from their shows’ inclusivity on the runway as both featured plus sized models. Chanel closed Paris Fashion Week with a plus sized model in their runway show for the first time in nearly a decade, Jill Kortleve. The last time a plus-size model walked the Chanel runway was in 2010 when model Crystal Renn appeared in the brand’s “Cruise Collection Presentation” in Saint-Tropez, France.
With Paris fashion week we see designers, companies, or “houses” present their most recent collections in runway fashion shows to consumers and the media during fashion week, a one-week long industry event. The emerging fashion trends for the current and upcoming seasons are influenced by these occurrences hence their importance. They showcase the new styles of the season.
