It's sometimes hard to remember that just three years ago, catwalks were saturated with hoodies and sneakers. After the reign of streetwear, when the effects of the pandemic subsided in 2021, fashion took a U-turn, turning to a refined wardrobe, designed for women rather than teenagers.
In this quest for elegance, there's one particularly effective color: black. For Women's Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2024-2025, which runs in Paris until March 5, two major fashion houses have relied on this dark tone to enhance a chic and fashionable wardrobe.
"From the black I seek light, in black I refine my sight," said Pierpaolo Piccioli. At Valentino, the designer has "approached black as a canvas, a starting point on which to build layers and structures, silhouettes that could move while looking for the lights around, to soak them in and reflect them." Under the golds of the Pozzo di Borgo mansion, built in the 18th century, he displayed an entirely black collection. The chromatic uniformity and refinement guaranteed by this color has encouraged him to embrace a variety of styles: corduroy suit-shorts, zipped leather jacket and trapeze skirt; blurred transparent blouse and masculine pants; loose wrap shirt and voluminous tulle skirt.
Valentino's hallmarks are evident: ruffles and pleats, embroidery imitating floral bas-reliefs and structured tailoring contrasting with the finesse of sheer chiffon. The somewhat triumphant glamour of a short dress with square shoulders sometimes evokes the 1980s, an impression reinforced by the music of the singer Sade in the background. Undeniably distinguished, this collection will probably not have the same resonance as the 100% fuchsia one that set the internet alight in March 2022, because the downside of black is that it's not an exclusive palette to explore.
On the eve of the Valentino show, on March 2, Hermès welcomed its guests to a space draped in floor-to-ceiling black, with a curtain of artificial rain running through it. Here, black was a reference to the world of motorcycling, which is a personal memory – designer Nadège Vanhée used to be a biker – and the foundation of this collection, while the rain symbolized the harshness of the elements to which the biker may be subjected.
It was a collection oriented toward leather, enveloping and protective shapes, water-resistant without looking like it, but which never gave up on Hermès chic. A cropped jacket was worn with a split skirt and knee-high boots; a funnel-neck sweater emerged from a smooth calfskin jumpsuit; and a loose-fitting double-faced baby cashmere overcoat revealed a short wool sweater, high-waisted pants that stopped mid-calf and cowboy boots. "In painting, black is used to highlight the other colors. It's a bit the same here," said Vanhée, who has simultaneously developed a palette of muted, singular tones – earthy brown, soft beige, deep red and even butter yellow – for a woman who takes all the light.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.