What escaped you from Fashion Week<

Classic codes are popular

In these uncertain times, fashion is returning to safe values ​​and each house draws its essentials from its own codes. Clothes with a long life cycle, between variations around the suit, the black dress, the white shirt, the beige trench coat. This is true at Saint Laurent, where Anthony Vaccarello rethinks the black jacket ad infinitum and reworks the tuxedo - long, short, close-fitting, all shoulders, in velvet, sequins, wool and silk.

At Burberry, Riccardo Tisci reworks the bourgeois register - printed silk scarves, skirts below the knee, trenches (the house's signature piece) revisited, bags and coordinated silhouettes. At Prada, we remastered the tweed skirt suit and the row of pearls - transformed by Miuccia Prada into shells. At Celine, Hedi Slimane continues his bourgeois exploration with a wardrobe of desirable timeless items - navy blazer, gray suit jacket, little black jacket (also in leather), white shirt (sometimes with a lavallière, sometimes playing with ruffles), blue jeans and even aviator goggles. Brands are thus betting on their spine.

This is the case at Chanel: Virginie Viard interprets the little signature jacket and the tweed in a refined version. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri bets on her own classics between tulle petticoats and long airy dresses in embroidered muslin that play on transparency; at Giorgio Armani, who plays with velvet (the house's signature material) and the supple suit jacket (the label's emblematic garment). The same is true for young shoots: for her fourth Paris show, Marine Serre, eponym of her brand, continues to apply the recipes that have marked her success - casting "real people", signature logo (the crescent moon, committed score (baptized Marée Noire) and underground touch.

When fashion goes green

Against the backdrop of the climate crisis, initiatives in favor of eco-responsible fashion are at the heart of the concerns of the sector. In Milan, the Green Carpet Awards celebrated the sector's green initiatives, while in Paris the Fédération de la haute couture et de la mode deployed an arsenal of measures to reduce the environmental impact of this edition of fashion week - between provision of exclusively electric means of transport (Paris Fashion Week buses, scooters, scooters) and optimization of waste (the scenography of a room at the Palais de Tokyo was reused for seven fashion shows and three presentations.

LVMH (owner of Les Echos) had also chosen this Parisian week to present its roadmap in terms of the environment and biodiversity, recall its commitment - since 1993 - and announce its results in this area, while the committed designer Stella Mc Cartney, who joined the world number 1 in luxury, advocated a “from within” strategy and initiated talks and debates, calling on those responsible for the sector to put their leadership in the green.

Paris, capital of the megashow

More than Milan, London or New York, Paris is the epicenter of spectacular parades, allowing large groups to affirm their power, their image and their identity. Fashion shows that look like a blockbuster which are now so many regular appointments. Dior opened the ball, with a huge wooden structure placed on the Longchamp racecourse, inside which stood a forest of the future of 160 trees of 60 different species (which will be replanted).

Celine paraded at nightfall on Place Vauban, at the foot of the Invalides dome, where an imposing ephemeral construction stood, hosting a scintillating sculpture to launch the show to the rhythm of Calling it by the Californians of Automatic. Saint Laurent returned to its chosen location, in front of the Eiffel Tower for a real sound and light show, while Chanel strolled over the reconstituted rooftops of Paris under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, and Louis Vuitton took over the Cour Carrée du Louvre with a refined wooden decor and the projection of a work by the artist Sophie.

New York, the return with a bang

The lines have moved in New York. Tom Ford took over as head of the powerful Council of Fashion Designers of America, which remained for thirteen years in the hands of Diane Von Furstenberg. First changes applied: the shortened fashion show calendar (from seven to five days), the increased number of shows (100 against 83 last season), and the appointment of four new members to the CFDA board of directors (Virgil Abloh, Maria Cornejo, Kerby Jean-Raymond and Carly Cushnie). The goal? Make more attractive a New York fashion week that has been losing momentum in recent seasons, between the withdrawals of the big names in fashion and the absence of new headliners.

The energy boost has taken place. The parades-shows have multiplied and Big Apple has ensured the show stricto sensu. Out of order we will remember: Ralph Lauren offering a post-show concert by Janelle Monáe in his Ralph's Club installed in a bank on Wall Street; of Rihanna (back in New York) taking over the Brooklyn Nets stadium (the Barclays Center sports hall) to present her choreographed lingerie show for Savage X Fenty; Kerby Jean-Raymond with his Pyer Moss brand, sending 60 choristers and an orchestra to the Kings Theater stage at the same time as his silhouettes to perform standards of African-American music (soul and rap); Tommy Hilfiger (also back) delivering a festive score in collaboration with singer Zendaya (62 million Instagram subscribers) at the Apollo Theater in Harlem (vintage cars, choir, musicians and dancers as a bonus); by Rag & Bone (reviving this season with the parade format) introducing on stage a robot equipped with two arms filming the parade, modern dancers and a choir (The Brooklyn Youth Chorus); Texan Brandon Maxwell (winner of Womenswear Designer of the Year at the CFDA Awards) hosting his show in a pop-up club - Brandon's.

All offering very "instagrammable compatible" universes - except at Rihanna's where phones were prohibited, to let Amazon Prime Video have the first chance to broadcast the show exclusively on September 20. Even the placing under article 11 (safeguard procedure) of the American chain of luxury stores Barney's will not have affected the vigor and good humor of this fashion week.

London, between prohibition and democratization

In London, Extinction Rebellion activists wanted to ban fashion week, while the British Fashion Council (the London fashion promotion body) decided to open access to as many people as possible. Each with their own motivations and mode of communication.

Activists from Extinction Rebellion, have denounced consumerism and the impact of the fashion industry on the environment without overflowing: open letter sent to the British Fashion Council - to have this edition of fashion week -; #XRBoycottFashion hashtags posted on the movement's Instagram account to 381,000 followers; placards with slogans such as “Fashion = Ecocide” at the entrance to the Victoria Beckham fashion show; or funeral march organized on the last day of Fashion Week between Trafalgar Square and 180 Strand (headquarters of London fashion week).

At 180 Strand, the BFC is looking for new solutions and ideas to revitalize the sector in a very uncertain pre-Brexit era. On the first day of this edition, Stephanie Phair (President of the BFC) drew attention to the disastrous consequences of a "no deal" - a switch to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules would cost between 850 and 900 million to the sector according to UK Fashion & Textile Association - while recalling that fashion was a heavyweight in the British economy employing more than 890,000 people.

It is in this context that, for the first time, the BFC opened the doors of parades to the public. Judicious, in an industry where social networks already share them in real time with the greatest number - when it is not the brands themselves. The operation gave access to the show of the British it-girl Alexa Chung and to that of House of Holland in tandem with Self-Portrait, for 235 pounds sterling for a first row and 135 pounds sterling for a second. The 2,000 places have been snapped up.

This prize included a global experience, between access to fashion industry talks led by industry professionals - such as Eva Chen (director of fashion partnerships at Instagram) or Henry Holland (the artistic director of House of Holland) - and at the "Positive Fashion Designer Exhibition" which unveiled the eco-responsible scores of emerging designers. A beginning of response to the concerns of Extinction Rebellion.

The best fashion moment: J.LO and his jungle dress

The fashion world loves “fashion moments”. It will have been enough for Donatella Versace to resurrect one of them, to once again provoke public hysteria, the fury of social networks and fully occupy the media space. Flashback: in 2000, at the Grammy Awards, Jennifer Lopez wears a sensational tropical green Versace dress - plunging neckline to the navel - signed Donatella Versace. The singer and her dress ignite the Web. On Google, “Jungle Dress” searches ended up “breaking the Internet”, and gave the American giant the idea of ​​launching Google Images.

Nineteen years later, the same recipe is electrifying the Web: Jennifer Lopez (50), sure of herself, with a conquering approach, closes the Versace spring-summer 2020 show, in a "Jungle Dress" revisited in an even sexier version (between bare arms and additional side cutouts). The image is probably the most liked (more than 600,000 times on Donatella Versace's personal Instagram account) and shared of Milan Fashion Week on Instagram, and even parodied - it's the price of success.

The buzz is not only benefiting Versace but also mature women, with blooming curves, who play all-glamorous, assume their sex appeal, and express themselves far from size 32. Resuscitating a fashion moment? The formula is also Versace's trademark. Six months earlier, Donatella Versace revived "That Dress" on the catwalk: the cult and sulfurous black sheath dress designed by Gianni Versace and worn by Elizabeth Hurley in 1994, during the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral, caused a sensation .

In 2017, Donatella Versace always brought together the five historical tops of Gianni Versace (Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni and Helena Christensen) for a parade, dressed in gold dresses that hug the forms . A way of celebrating the martingale of glamor and luxury that has made the success of the house since Gianni Versace.

Patou all of a sudden

The revival of brands with heritage names continues to mark the history of the fashion sector. Latest: the Jean Patou brand. Acquired in 2018 by the world number 1 in luxury LVMH (also owner of the Les Echos group), the French house is making a comeback this season during Paris fashion week. From Jean Patou, we especially know the perfumes. Starting with Joy, flagship juice, launched in the 1930s, "the most expensive perfume in the world" according to the slogan of the time. The name was revived by Dior (LVMH) which released Joy, a perfume for women, in 2018. We also know the list of illustrious designers who have passed the artistic direction of the house: Marc Bohan (1954-57), Karl Lagerfeld ( 1958-63), Jean Paul Gaultier (1963-74) and Christian Lacroix (1981-87). Since 1987 nothing. Only the perfume activity remained, passed in turn to the hands of Procter & Gamble and Designer Parfums.

To rekindle desire around ready-to-wear, LVMH called on Guillaume Henry - artistic director - and Sophie Brocart - general manager. Logical, when you know that everyone has several successes to their credit. Guillaume Henry with the awakening of another French brand, Carven from 2009 to 2014. Sophie Brocart having been the general manager of Fréderic Malle perfumes between 2010 and 2012, then of the shoe brand Nicholas Kirkwood (LVMH) from 2013 to 2018 , while monitoring and supervising the winners of the LVMH Prize.

The relaunch strategy began before the summer: the brand was renamed Patou, adopted a black and white logo from the archives, a new headquarters (8 quai du Marché-Neuf in the 4^th arrondissement), and communicates actively on its site and on social networks (between videos with offbeat humor, and puns around the name Patou such as "Patou, c'est Pas All ! ").

The same simplicity on the day of the presentation which takes place during the Parisian fashion seek. The entrance is through the workshops - "like when you enter through the kitchens of a large restaurant", says Sophie Brocart; upstairs, smiling models, some with a book in hand, are wearing blazers with slightly underlined waists, smocks treated in denim, floral dresses with puffy shoulders, a flowing red shirt with an XXL bow tie. Everything is French elegance with a twist at affordable prices.

Are the absentees always wrong?

In Paris, some designers are missing. With his Off-White brand, Virgil Abloh - (also artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's collections since 2018 - did not come this season. The reason given? A stroke of fatigue. "Everything is fine, but the doctor told me says, 'This pace that you've kind of pushed your body to - going all these miles, doing all these different projects - isn't good for your health,'" the 38-year-old multitasking designer, who is also a DJ and connects collaborations.

The Off-White fashion show did take place, but without its creator. Jacquemus, the label launched in 2009 by Simon Porte Jacquemus, does not appear this season in the official calendar of Paris fashion shows. The explanation? The designer had already presented his women's collection with the man last June - a show that looked like a blockbuster in a lavender field in Provence - a mutual choice when we know the cost of a fashion show today.

Another case in point: Demna Gvasalia, creator of Vetements (also artistic director of Balenciaga since 2015) is leaving the unisex label he co-founded with his brother in 2014. However, the designer did well on Sunday morning's Balenciaga show , while refusing to answer a few questions.

So many absences that raise questions about the frantic pace of designers and collections, and about the amounts generated by fashion show productions, especially for young houses. Facts that send back the sector - fond of novelties - to its liabilities: the burn-out of Christophe Decarnin at Balmain in 2011, the John Galliano affair in 2011, or the warning signal launched by Raf Simons in 2015. The designer warned against the excessive and counter-productive pace of collections for designers.