And just like that, the month long global fashion tour that is the Fall/Winter 2022 season has finally come to an end, and there is no better place to bid au revoir than in Paris.
Despite already previewing many new-season collections from the world’s finest emerging and established designers, the luxury Parisian maison’s have once again cemented their status as a global fashion powerhouse.
From Louis Vuitton’s androgynous Annie Hall-inspired collection, to Miu Miu’s continued love of the micro mini skirts, our favourite labels are proving that quintessential French fashion is more than just breton stripes and berets.
Where Chanel and Saint Laurent were returning to their roots, embracing what we’ve come to know and love about the brand, the likes of Loewe and Dior were ushering in a new era at their respective labels.
There’s never been a better time to be at the foray of fashion, and the legacy houses are cementing themselves as the vanguard of design.
Between the impeccable street style looks from the international fashion crowd and enviable front row dressing from top tier A-listers like Victoria Beckham and Demi Moore, Paris Fashion Week exceeded every expectation.
Curious as to what marie claire’s favourite moments from the week were? Keep scrolling below for the unmissable and show-stopping runway looks from Paris Fashion Week 2022.
Chanel Made Us Seriously Consider Bringing Back The Humble Gumboot
For the 112-year-old French fashion house, tweed is in its blood.
From the jump, the woven wool has deep roots in Chanel’s history and bloodline. Now, creative director Virginie Viard is celebrating the brand’s signature staple.
Inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s rumoured lover, the Duke of Westminster, the collection saw an abundance of pocketed hunting coats and oversized men’s jackets—but more importantly, almost every look was paired with a sleek gumboot.
From thigh-high to ankle-high, an array of the earthy-toned rain-stompers were worn with knit socks finishing above the knee, perfect for any mid-winter jaunt. From rainy weather to the runway, Chanel made us question: perhaps we should rethink how we wear the wet weather shoe?
Louis Vuitton Pays Homage To Androgynous Dressing And Nostalgic Menswear
Walking the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter 2022 show was somewhat of an ode to the androgynous style of Annie Hall.
Nicolas Ghesquière used the runway as his vision board yet again, tossing up between historical trends and modern dressing, using vintage neckties and decades-old men’s tailoring to do so.
Inspired by fashion photographer David Sims’ work through the ‘90s, Ghesquière even embroidered some of Sims’ work onto floral jacquard polos.
Breathing new life into the old, the collection hoped to garner support from the new generation with garments symbolising the stylish nonchalance of being young. After all, who doesn’t love nostalgia?
Loewe Makes A Case For Surrealist, Chuckle-Worthy Fashion And, Well, Balloons
As expected, Loewe’s latest show got the world talking.
This time around, Jonathan Anderson’s Fall/Winter 2022 ready-to-wear collection tested the boundaries of the irrational.
The main talking point? Well, it had to be the plethora of red balloons. Squeezed under shoe straps, forcing their way out from bondage dresses and balloon knots emulating nipples, there looked to be a René Magritte influence sprinkled throughout.
From a trapeze-like dress with a car stretched against its hem to skin-tight dresses with high heels floating beneath its first layer, the entire collection screamed surrealism—some may think it’s absurd, but we call it ‘genius’.
Dior Debuts A ‘New Look’ Of Their Iconic Day Jacket
Maria Grazia Chiuri is continuing to push the boundaries of Dior. Fresh from a swinging 60s inspired Spring/Summer collection and artisan influenced Spring 2022 Haute Couture show, MGC is showcasing that Dior is a brand for the future.
So futuristic that many of the maison’s iconic silhouettes, including the Day Jacket, are reinvented with new technologies designed to regulate body temperature.
With a star-student front-row that includes Rihanna and Anya Taylor-Joy we’re excited to see this new era of Dior come to fruition.
Saint Laurent Takes Us Back To 1930s Simplicity And Sophistication
Anthony Vaccarello was inspired by the Art-Deco era of Yves Saint Laurent for the maison’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection.
Removing the bells and whistles of modern womenswear design, Saint Laurent kept the colour palette minimum and the silhouettes bold and inspiring for the contemporary age.
Tropes of menswear were borrowed for this collection, with the tension between sexual feminine designs and masculine outwear a highlight.
We can’t help but think this collection would make fantastic costuming for a neo-noir expressionist thriller.
Legendary Supermodels Took To The Off-White Runway In Tribute Of Virgil Abloh
There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience, or on the runway, for Off-White’s first fashion show since the passing of creative director Virgil Abloh.
Some of the most decorated and prolific supermodels of the century, including 90s icons Naomi Campbell, Amber Valletta, Helena Christensen and Cindy Crawford walked alongside fashion’s new guard.
But the collection was more than just famous faces wearing some of Virgil’s final designs. The collection was rife with Abloh-isms like the flag labelled with “question everything”, cementing his legendary rhetoric “everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself.”
Miu Miu Is Still Making Mini Skirts Cool Again
In case you missed it, Miuccia Prada’s high-thigh skimming mini skirt has cemented itself as the must-have item of 2022.
It’s fashions first big trend, dictated by the international runways, since the start of the pandemic. Naturally, the hype for Miu Miu’s follow up collection was second to none.
So, in true Miuccia fashion, she over delivered and gave us something we didn’t even know we wanted, let alone needed.
The Miu Miu girl has progressed from shearing her oversized beige corporate uniform to upcycling her abandoned physical education kit. Enthusing the pleated pieces with punk rock sensibility, either styling it with oversized leather jackets, double belts or as a crystal-mesh skirt.
But it wasn’t just the Miu Miu girl embracing the micro mini this season, the Miu Miu man is back in full swing with the rocking beatnik style for whenever and whoever.
Balenciaga Dedicated Their Collection To The Crisis In Ukraine
It was arguably one of the most discussed, if not shared, shows to come from the Fall 2022 season.
Despite the humorous caution tape ensemble worn by Kim Kardashian, or the stylish front row featuring muses Alexa Demie and Adèle Exarchopoulos, the show took a more serious tone in line with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Between the turbulent, tempest-esque setting and the Ukrainian flag coloured t-shirts that were laid out for every guest, creative director Denma Gvasalia’s poignant message was most apparent in his personally penned open letter.
“The war in Ukraine has triggered the pain of past trauma I have carried in me since 1993”, the letter read. “This show needs no explanation. It is a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace.”
Hermès Is Infusing Tradition With A Newfound Sense Of Sexiness
Hermès issued a ‘surprise and delight’ for their Fall/Winter 2022 collection with the infusion of sex appeal with traditional silhouettes.
While the legacy French maison isn’t typically known for their revealing and skin-showing designs, creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski is moving past equestrian chic in favour of a renewed feminine approach to dressing.
House codes, including riding boots and tailored outerwear is modernised for the contemporary Parisian woman. The newfound focus on the body is either revealed by hints of skin through structured shorts and knitted onesie, or covered up in opaque panelling.
