Today in Paris, there was as much action on the presentation circuit as on the runway itself with Aquazzura, Brian Atwood, Robert Clergerie and Pierre Hardy all presenting their spring 2018 collections.
Bringing sexy back
“Let’s bring sexy back,” said Aquazzura’s flamboyant creative director Edgardo Osorio. He’d been watching reruns of “Sex and the City,” which, he says, “practically invented the jeweled pump,” but also drew on ’90s fashion iconography and a recent trip to Rajasthan. From mules in saturated silks and Jaipur-style gemstones to mirror embellished sandals, he riffed of saris, supermodels and Sarah Jessica Parker. It was an intoxicating mix.
Dancing queens
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Brian Atwood’s presentation featured a performance by the all-male Yanis Marshall dance troop who showed off their moves while wearing a selection of the designer’s highest heels. Standout styles were color block sandals with cone shaped heels, tie-dye fringed boots, and sandals with leather pom poms that were definitely made for dancing.
The Clergerie Girl shapes up
The appointment of David Tournaire Beauciel as creative director at French heritage label Robert Clergerie was an astute move. Tournaire both has his own line and is also the man behind the footwear at Balenciaga. He has a genius knack for absorbing a label’s DNA and translating it afresh. He gave Clergerie’s signature raffia an ultra contemporary spin as both an architectural mule with extended tongue and as a side panel on the label’s debut sneaker. The latter is available see-now-buy-now on a special microsite.
The Art of Shoes
Pierre Hardy’s spring 2018 collection was inspired by abstract art. Dramatic colorblock mules, sandals, sockboots and slides had a graphic, architectural vibe and came in a punchy palette that took in cobalt blue, coral, sunshine yellow and emerald green.
