Take a look: 11 chic new styles from Chanel, Valentino and Hermes at Paris Fashion Week
Amy Verner chooses the best looks on the runway
Thanks to a massive rotating earth studded with flags demarcating every one of Chanel’s 300 standalone boutiques around the globe, there was no ambiguity to the broad message of Chanel’s fall show: globalization. Or maybe world domination (although the fashion house has yet to conquer Africa).VALERIO MEZZANOTTI/The New York Times
Focus in on the models – their orbit was quite far from the seating – and the collection was equally impactful. Chanel’s ateliers continue to develop new, even more elaborate bouclé tweed and Karl Lagerfeld inevitably updates his silhouettes. Here, all volume was pushed up top, whether rounded jackets or flared kicky skirts.CHARLES PLATIAU/Reuters
There were some longer looks, too (but even these had panels cut from the front to reveal the models’ long, lean legs). Although Lagerfeld insisted after the show that he was not all that interested in red carpet drama. Definitely no fishtail dresses, he said.VALERIO MEZZANOTTI/The New York Times
Can you guess the inspiration behind the fur bonnets that appeared in electric blue, pastel green and pink? No, not punk hair helmets. Lagerfeld explained that he got the idea from Anna Wintour’s ever-perfect bob.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac titled his latest collection “Foxy Ladies.” So naturally, he felt compelled to push this idea to the max. The veteran designer often attracts stars who like to mix shock value with chic.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press
Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli cited the master Flemish painters and “Calvinist simplicity” as starting points for their fall collection. Which is not to suggest restrained. Here, they cleverly riffed on a royal ermine coat, turning it into a youthful dress.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
The duo is judicious about detail while understanding the importance of restraint. It’s an incredibly tough equation and they continue to explore it with a modern touch. They pick up where the great portrait artists left off, using a broad, openwork white collar to reflect light on the face.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
A grouping of colour-blocked dresses with oversized scalloped edging stood apart from the rest of the collection in a conceptual way; you could almost imagine all the embroidery and beading they considered adding and then decided against.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
Another grouping – arguably the most beautiful – showed their interpretation of Delft porcelain with its royal blue patterns. The dresses were wistful and romantic – but far from fragile.Thibault Camus/The Associated Press
Christophe Lemaire continues to refine his vision as the women’s wear designer at Hermès. True to the spirit of the brand, he showed coats that expressed sophistication and subtle luxury. This might have been his strongest collection yet.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press
There was also a tight, sporty message to the clothes, whether a pant with an elasticized cuff that unzipped to reveal an insert of red leather or a perfectly cut pea coat with no visible fastenings.GONZALO FUENTES/Reuters
While silk remains an essential ingredient in every Hermès collection, it played a less significant role compared to fur vest layers that offered textural dimension. One standout: a silk tie backed in leather cleverly married both sides of the brand.Jacques Brinon/The Associated Press