PARIS (dpa-AFX) – For four days, outrageously expensive and handcrafted one-off pieces will once more be on display at the haute couture shows in Paris. For the Chanel show, Sigourney Weaver, Clemence Poesie, Anna Wintour and all the other invited guests had to travel far west of Paris on Tuesday morning, because this time the parade took place in a riding stable at the extreme end of the Bois de Boulogne.
For the second time, creative director Virginie Viard (60) commissioned the contemporary French artist Xavier Veilhan with the set design, who also used some wooden elements from the last haute couture show. Abstract, geometric structures made of wood were set up in front of and in the riding arena, between which bales of hay wrapped in pink foil stood on the forecourt.
A bright green tweed ensemble consisting of a long skirt and blazer with patch pockets opened the show on the fine white sand of the hall. In keeping with the equestrian theme, Viard paired this look with chunky, high-heeled cowboy boots that set the casual yet glamorous tone of the collection. The show was accompanied by a film projection and the music of Sebastien Tellier, whose new album “Symphonic” was distributed on vinyl at the exit.
In the coming days, among others, the shows by Armani Priv, Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier will be seen./DP/jha