Versace got Paris haute couture shows off to a
hyper-sexy start with a procession of powerful femme fatales as the big gun
designers hit the catwalk Monday.
Donatella Versace presented a series of revealing strappy dresses and
short
sporty Formula One-influenced combinations that dared women to get into the
fast lane.
“I think women can be strong and capable of achieving their dreams while
being beautiful and elegant,” Donatella Versace said later.
“It is a collection dedicated to all the women who follow their own
path.”
The Italian creator, who took over the reins of the high-glamour fashion
house from her late brother Gianni, also created an eye-catching line of
superhero inspired pieces which seemed to channel Spiderman and the fin de
siecle decadence of the artist Aubrey Beardsley’s drawings.
Her models powered down the catwalk late Sunday to a rap of “my body, my
soul”, the defiant message being that I will wear what I want to make me
feel
good and in control.
“I move to the beat of my own drum,” another lyric declared, the
implication being no one should tell women what to wear and what not to
wear.
The emphasis was on legs with short embroidered dresses and long ball
robes
cut away at the front to show off high-heeled pins.
This take-no-prisoners feminist sexiness came into its own in power suits
and gowns cut with away sections tied together with stringy
not-quite-bondage
cords.
But the big talking point of the four days of the elite haute couture shows
is how France’s Christian Dior will cope without designer Raf Simons.
The Belgian quit the brand in October for “personal reasons”, and with
little time to find a replacement, the designers he left behind in the
studio
have put together the collection themselves.
All will be revealed when Dior presents its spring summer creations later
Monday at the Rodin museum in the French capital.
Dior boss Sidney Toledano had earlier told AFP that he was taking his
time
because finding a successor was like “bringing someone into your family”.
With its handmade pieces solely within the price range of the world’s
richest women, haute couture exists only in Paris and is regarded as the
pinnacle of fashion.
The designation is protected by French law and attributed exclusively by
the ministry of industry to selected houses whose clothes are tailored to
each
client.
Only 14 fashion houses have the right to call themselves haute couture —
Chanel, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Margiela,
Giambattista Valli, Franck Sorbier, Adeline Andre, Alexandre Vauthier,
Alexis
Mabille, Bouchra Jarrar, Maurizio Galante and Stephane Rolland.
Another 20 are regarded as “guest members” of the elite club.
(Fiachra Gibbons, AFP)
Photos: British Vogue