Paris Fashion Week SS17: Highlights of Day 3

Three words to describe Chloé ‘s SS17 collection; easy, breezy, beautiful. While there were nautical references, namely the sailor collars, pants and cords, the collection is not sailor-inspired per se. Capturing “a play of boyish attitude and romantic details”, Clare Waight Keller flaunts the effortless French style including slouchy suiting and floaty mini dresses. This time, there were no free-spirited festival girl vibes as the designer took it to the city streets.  Also drawing ideas from the 80s, Waight Keller incorporated little details from the era, minus the costume-y elements: voluminous sportswear, a big-sleeved top paired with white shorts and a full skirt in graphics and with drawstrings. And no easy, breezy collection would be completed without laced, pleated and tiered frocks in soft, sorbet shades that look good enough to eat.

Renowned for his sexy, bodycon dresses, Olivier Rousteing surprised us by putting his Balmain army in pieces that are, well, not so body-hugging. Glamazon models such as Natasha Poly, Jourdan Dunn and Alessandra Ambrosio are sent down the runway in sexy athleisure wear but before you could even say #teamcozy, this season’s clothing are far from minimal. There were cut-outs on bodices, strategically-placed sheer panels and slits all the way up the front of both thighs. Rousteing replaced his signature of glitzy threadwork with desert tone colours, crocheted skirt and silky-smooth kaftans, letting the prints and fabrics do all the talking. All the models were stomping in towering wedge sandals and some appeared in metallic, cinched-waist numbers – looks like we will be seeing the brand’s muse, Kim Kardashian in that soon.

Another French designer pushing her signatures this season is Isabel Marant. For the first time, in a long time, the French designer did not run her collection through the theme machine. With “casual femininity” in mind, the SS17 lineup features romantic and flirty pieces such as floral, ruffles and billowy statement sleeves.  Marant, however, did not forget about her infamous high-waisted pants though. Throughout the collection, she drew attention to the narrowest part of the torso with an ultra-high, almost-corset waist; jumpsuits, mini dresses and floral skirts were all cinched with miniature corsets. Our personal favourite? The pink boilersuit-like playsuit with a mannish silhouette that was cinched with a matching corset belt – a boy-meets-girl piece in the truest sense.

Related stories:

Paris Fashion Week SS17: Highlights of Day 2

Paris Fashion Week SS17: Day 2 Street Style