Cheat Sheet: The Highlights of Paris Fashion Week
From Nicki Minaj as Lil Kim to a rocket ship at Chanel…
Even the incessant rain couldn't put a damper on the innovative sets, statement boots and celeb quotient at Paris Fashion Week.
Nicki Minaj Takes Paris
There were many stars at Paris Fashion Week, but Nicky's Lil' Kim rendition in the front row at Haider Ackermann, her after party look for Balmain and her other appearance at Rick Owens and H&M stole the show in the City of Lights.
Balmain x Kim's Go To Grillz Girl
The image of Kim Kardashian's grill went viral because she posted it, alongside her blingy diamond right before the heist heard round the world last season. The designer of that grill is getting some more positive PR thanks to an appearance on Balmain's Fall runway. Dolly Cohen, the Paris-based jeweler specializing in bijoux de bouche, created Geisha lip treatment inspired golden mouth jewelry pieces that each of the girls wore.
Rihanna University
Word on the street is that producers had to bring in the approximately 1 billion books that lined the walls of the impressive Fenty x Puma show—which resembled a Harry Potter meets hip hop library—and it was all worth it. The energy, cool factor, appearance by Future and fan girling by Cara Delevingne made the show easily one of Paris' highlights.
Saint Laurent's Glitter Booties
The talk of the fashion town was definitely those Saint Laurent glitter booties, which appeared on Anthony Vaccarello's sophomore runway for the storied French house and summed up the over-the-top glamour of the fall season. The bad news, they're slated to retail for about $10K. The good news? You have about four months to save up for them.
Dior's Parisian Politics
Maria Grazia Chiuri launched a million feminist tees last season for her inaugural Dior show and while her message wasn't so clearly spelled out this season leather berets on the runway served as reference to key political movements and figures past, while white bandanas at every seat featured a quote from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that red, "Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes."
Balenciaga for the Street Style Win
Demna Gvaslaia's latest for Balenciaga was once again well received—from akimbo tailored jackets to couture-inspired voluminous evening gowns—but in the interest of living in the present, Balenciaga's colorful, over-the-knee boots were doubtlessly the stars of the street set. Luckily, the fall runway included new iterations on the boot as well. If it ain't broke…
The After-Party Performance
Lauryn Hill's rendition of her classic hits at Kenzo's La Collection Memento after-party simply cannot be equaled, as much as people rocked out to the The Weeknd at H&M.
Chanel Achieves Lift Off
Even the most jaded fashion show goer couldn't help but be caught up in the pomp, circumstance and Michel Gaubert's flawless soundtrack of Chanel's Launch Center N°5. Elton John's melancholy "Rocket Man" accompanied a giant 120-foot rocket ship in the center of the Grand Palais that appeared to literally "lift off" as models walked the finale in glitter boots, Barbarella hair, reefer jackets and tweedy silvers. It was "a journey through the sky, to the heart of constellations, in the wake of the astronaut Thomas Pesquet," according to Lagerfeld—and felt like just that.
The Set Life
Not everyone needs a rocket ship to make a statement. A purple shag carpet at Miu Miu, a pitch dark labyrinth punctuated with lit orchids on the wall at Loewe and Off-White's late fall forrest for its "Nothing New Show" did the trick, while master of the statement set Dries van Noten was notable for going simple on his Fall runway. The Belgian designer cast 54 models who have walked for him since 1993—Malgosia, Amber, Trish Goff, Caroline de Maigret and more were standouts that represented that It '90s girl is still chic as ever and getting better with age.
Louis Vuitton at the Louvre
For the first-ever fashion show hosted at the Louvre, Louis Vuitton invited guests to the Cour Marly in the Richelieu wing. Such fancy digs might seemingly call for couture-like gowns, but ever the proponent of the cool girl, Ghesquière dressed ladies at the Louvre for an elevated real world complete with long furs, leather trousers, slip dresses and leisure suits.
