Could this be a modern art happening? No, this is nothing more than Fashion Week. From February 26 to March 5, Paris was besieged by the event in question, generating – for better and especially for worse – images of catwalks, collections, designers, muses, influencers and front rows. The latter was immortalized, one could almost say by chance, at the Vivienne Westwood show on March 2. And what of the composition? From left to right appeared designer Jeffrey C. Williams, singer Lucky Love, rapper Brooke Candy, singer Celeste Epiphany Waite and model Barbara Palvin.
In this unlikely sartorial skirmish, what can we hold on to in order to stay sane? Perhaps it could be the perfectly rational presence of three pairs of platform shoes. The current fate of this type of footwear happens to be closely linked to that of Vivienne Westwood, who never stopped reworking and redesigning them. Naomi Campbell's spectacular fall at one of the English designer's shows in 1993, as she was wearing a towering pair of electric-blue croc-effect platforms, is now part of fashion history.
While we're hitting below the belt, let's also note that rapper Brooke Candy, who is wearing heels, opted for fishnet stockings reminiscent of the early 20th century. Back then, French cancan dancers and burlesque artists were looking for an alternative to their delicate silk stockings. Fishnets quickly became popular for their sturdiness, but also for their ability to hide as well as to show, or vice versa. The trend's figurehead was American entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970). She didn't do things by halves – she would wrap herself in fishnet from feet to chest.
To go with her fishnet stockings, Madame Candy didn't exactly pick an understated hairdo, opting for a crown of thorns dubbed "liberty spikes," for they look like the ones on the Statue of Liberty. Ugly, you say? Don't expect us to speak ill of it so openly. During the Middle Ages, in Celtic countries, this hairstyle was a symbol of strength and honor, reserved exclusively for warriors who had already killed in battle.
Finally, let's take a look at model Barbara Palvin's jacket. Does it look like an oversized single-breasted blazer cut in a beige wool-and-silk blend? Yes, it certainly does. And yet, suit enthusiasts will notice that the jacket's wide lapels are not straight, but slightly curved. In the traditional world of English tailoring, this detail will give a single-breasted jacket subtle casualness, as well as refined elegance. You may say that is the opposite of Fashion Week, and you may be right.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.