Sarah Burton showcased a blissful collection for Alexander McQueen and Karlie Kloss hit the runway for Elie Saab on the final day of Paris Fashion Week. In beverage news, Jean Paul Gaultier has become Diet Coke’s new creative director.
The Alexander McQueen autumn/winter 2012 collection was said to have been inspired by “the rippling underbellies of mushrooms” and the stunning collection of layered gowns and coats featured a colour palette of pinks, greyish purple, soft reds, silvery grey and black.
Hal Rubenstein, InStyle magazine fashion director said: “It was exhilarating… With talent like Sarah’s you just sit back and relish the sense of fantasy. No one else has it.”
Joe Zee, creative director of Elle, tweeted his appreciation of both Sarah’s stunning collection and her own simple personal style.
He wrote, “The genius of Sarah Burton & why I love her: She always delivers a stellar collection but takes a bow in a simple shirt, jeans & flats.”
The A-list front row also included US Vogue editor Anna Wintour and ‘Puss in Boots’ actress Salma Hayek who said it was “joyous, like seeing beautiful flowers you have never seen before”.
Sarah also showed off a collection of unusual footwear which included heel-less, buckled, black-and-white pony skin and mink shoes, complete with silver horse-shoe details.
Speaking backstage after the show, Sarah – who took over as head designer following the suicide of Alexander McQueen in February 2010 – said, “I wanted it to be very positive. It is about a beautiful future.”
The supermodel – who skipped Milan, London and New York Fashion Week this year but made a surprise return to the runway in Paris – was the first model out for the Lebanese fashion designer’s Fall/ Winter 2012 collection in a stunning skirt suit with on trend peplum.
The sequined, embelished and metallic gowns which have become synonymous with the designer were on show on models including Natasha Poly and Anja Rubik, with some slashed to the thigh and featuring plunging V-necks.
The varied collection also included jumpsuits, pencil dresses, trouser suits, shoes and accessories.
Make-up and hair was kept simple and understated with poker straight hair, brown, smoky eye make-up and soft plum lips
Yesterday’s Collette Dinnigan show comprising dresses of lace and sequins with feathered detailing was also praised.
Miu Miu also showcased a new eclectic collection, featuring colourful trouser suits, which designer Miuccia Prada’ joked to WWD were “the only thing exciting to me after so many years of skirts and dresses”.
The iconic designer will take over from Karl Lagerfeld at the world famous soft drinks company and will work on a range of projects over the next 12 months.
In homage to his curvaceous perfume bottles, his Diet Coke model will be in the shape of a woman, saying, “It was great fun to dress them. The Diet Coke motif is so beautiful I had to design around this. The finishing touch was to apply my logo to the bottle, like applying a fragile stamp – making it something special you want to touch.”
Gaultier will be involved in the soft drink’s website content, retail concepts and the advertising campaigns.
As well as Lagerfeld, Gaultier also follows in the footsteps of Matthew Williamson, Gianfranco Ferrè, Marni and Roberto Cavalli, who have all designed bottles before him.
As well as working with Diet Coke, last year it was also revealed Gaultier revealed plans to develop a “provocative” lingerie collection with Italian brand La Perla.
He said the collaboration “was bound to happen”, adding, “Lingerie is part of my DNA: I have always used it in my collections. With La Perla, I have found a perfect partner.”
