Daily Front Row

2011 September 29

Spring 2012: Carven, Balenciaga

Carven Spring 2012
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(PARIS) Carven
After a weekend jaunt in Switzerland for Resort 2012, the quintessential Carven girl trekked back to the classroom for Spring toting a backpack full of Guillaume Henry's calling card--brainy schoolgirl uniforms. Here, the classically proper silhouette went edgy, making sure to sidestep any roadside clichés. Short flirty skirts and high flat-front shorts were layered with smart blazers atop crisp white button-downs or midriff-baring tops. Bodice cutouts, often found in the rebel-rousing detention halls, made their way into just about everything from a sandy-colored leather floral shift to a playful Where’s Waldo frock sporting a saffron collar and matching MJs jingling with school bells. The final report: Henry passed with flying colors!  

Balenciaga
Standing room only? Mais non! One bench after another collapsed this morning at the Rue Cassette venue housing the Balenciaga show. Tip-top chicsters from Elle's Kate Lanphear to Mario Testino landed on their derrières before being asked by the profusely apologetic Balenciaga exec, Isabelle Guichot, to relinquish their front row perches. Safety first! On the sidelines stood Salma Hayek, limping along from a previous ankle injury, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and actress Isabelle Huppert. Rocky start and all, chic must go on, right? To the beats of the Twin Peaks soundtrack, Nicolas Ghesquière sent mods out in conceptually futuristic uniforms composed of itty-bitty print shorties and tees under graphic boxy jackets with exaggerated shoulders—almost football player in nature. Dresses mimicked Fall's longer silhouette with archival patchwork A-line numbers, sparkly sequined ankle skirts with looser, leaner toppers, and sharp colorblock dresses accented with bold lines. Sculptural separates may have shaped the show but Ghesquière received the highest praise for his penchant for the perfect pant, reworked here in a bevy of denim or silk high-waisted, pleat-front trousers tappered at the ankle.