Japanese Move To Green Beat At Paris Shows
Date: 17-Feb-08
Country: FRANCE
Their design was a far cry from the 1960s heyday of paper clothing, when A-line sleeveless frocks were plastered with geometric designs and Andy Warhol prints, but designer Dai Fujiwara said the aim was to capture fears about the planet.
Fujiwara presented a series of dresses and bodysuits with paper stretched and ruffled so that it looked like blown glass orbs bubbling around models' bodies.
He said the theme for the show, set in the "Museum of Man", overlooked by the Eiffel Tower, was life and death in the light of concerns about ecological crisis -- a developing trend during this fashion cycle ending in Paris on Sunday.
Eco-warrior women starred at Vivienne Westwood, the grand dame of British fashion, on Monday, tramping down the catwalk clad in wide-shouldered velvet trouser suits, printed dresses, and faux bear fur capes.
Also showing on Tuesday was Tsumori Chisato, who worked at Issey Miyake before setting up her own label. She is big in Japan and increasingly popular among the US fashion crowd.
Chisato's fall collection was in another voyage into fantasy land, but one of fairy tale, with its print heavy focus and playful style.
Embroidered dresses cut on the A-line stopped just on the knee and were set off with colourful, zig-zag patterned tights.
The Paris fashion season, following on from New York, London and Milan, marks the final leg of the catwalk cycle that will establish the trends for next season and provide vital inspiration for the world's biggest retail apparel chains from Zara and H&M to Marks and Spencer.
Stand out shows in Paris on Wednesday are Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix and Givenchy.
(Reporting by Rachel Sanderson)