Daily Front Row

2011 March 9

Paris Fall 2011: Valentino, Alexander McQueen

Valentino Fall 2011
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(PARIS) Valentino
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli chose to show their F/W collection for Valentino in the Tuileries garden – and what better place to exhibit their clothes made for contemporary princesses in the former royal Palace's grounds. The pretty slew of nude, pink and aubergine looks reflected Valentino's quiet, always ladylike style tug-of-war between ethereal and edgy: lace dresses with a hint of transparency, dark touches of intricately-worked leather, a fabulous razed pony skin trench, pleated skirts, bows on waists, and accessories to kill for, namely a standout pair of python boots. Daytime looks dominated, with a few pops of teal and navy for good measure –structured for day, diaphonous for night. Front row attendees including Alexa Chung, Bianca Brandolini, Caroline Sieber, Florence Welch, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Natalia Vodianova were the houses’ swans, all wearing pieces from Pre-Fall 2012. 

Alexander McQueen
Kate Middleton was on everyone’s lips at the Alexander McQueen show –  will Sarah Burton be designing the future Queen of England’s wedding dress? There were certainly many sumptuous white looks in Burton’s fall collection to give inspiration to Miss Middleton. Held at the Conciergie, where Marie Antoinette spent her final days, Burton sent out a collection of ice maidens wearing high shoulders of white plume feathers over form-fitting pencil skirts and dramatic black and grey fur vests atop zippered leather cropped capri trousers. The collection reached its zenith with the closing series of breathtaking pleated white evening looks, including at least four floor-sweeping numbers fit to transition immediately from the runway to the alter. Regardless of Middleton’s decision, Burton’s collection was certainly fit for a queen.