Paris Fashion Week: Controversial leather at Hermes, light and breezy at Beckham, a masculine note at Saint Laurent
PARIS — For her spring summer runway show, Hermes designer Nadege Vanhee sent out a parade of mesh crop tops and calfskin coats in tan hues on Saturday, a lineup that was briefly interrupted by three animal rights activists.
The show was kicking off with a series of light, beige looks — loose trousers, sheer tops, and a suede coat cinched in the back — when the first protestor from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group burst on to the catwalk, wielding a sign calling for the label to stop using exotic skins. (Watch the show — sans protestors — here: https://tinyurl.com/mseetadf)
She was wrestled out of a side door by security guards just before the next model arrived, dressed in a buttery leather bomber jacket paired with a high waisted culotte.
Security guards nabbed another protestor who jumped on the catwalk shortly after, rushing her out the same side door in time for the next look — a sheer top in ivory that matched the model’s trousers and handbag.
The parade continued, featuring long sheer skirts unzipped to the thighs, bright pink dresses and belted outerwear.
When a third protestor suddenly appeared, the audience gasped. Her appearance was also brief, and the show continued.
It is not the first time PETA protestors have targeted the French label, known for its highly coveted Birkin bags, with versions in exotic skins famous for fetching prices reaching as much as several hundred thousand dollars in auctions.
PETA also targeted the Dior show earlier this week for the brand’s use of feathers, with just one protestor very briefly entering the catwalk.
Paris Fashion Week, which started on Sept. 23, wraps up Oct. 1.
VICTORIA BECKHAM
For the spring-summer collection of her namesake label, Victoria Beckham showed a lineup of minimalist dresses and deconstructed tailoring on a runway set up in the outskirts of Paris. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/25rutb36)
Models emerged from a neoclassical chateau in the sprawling Bois de Boulogne gardens after dark, the trains of their skirts trailing behind. The audience sat in a courtyard under a clear, plastic tent, huddled in blankets left on each seat, while rows of candles flickered under the sphinx statues nearby.
Models paraded by in skimpy, shoulder-baring tops, and asymmetric dresses, while trousers had slightly bulky cuts, adding volume, made of fabric pressed with wrinkles.
SAINT LAURENT
Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello offered a lineup of ample, masculine suits for the Parisian label’s spring-summer 2025 collection, with prominent shoulders and matching ties. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/w3rcx8dc)
Models made their way steadily around an open-air runway set up in the central courtyard of the Kering-owned fashion house’s Left Bank headquarters.
They wore thick, studious glasses or aviator shades.
Bomber jackets added heft to the silhouettes, while chunky jewelry and pointy stilettos brought extra glamour to the looks, which were closely fashioned after the personal style of the house founder, Yves Saint Laurent.
Part way through the show, Mr. Vaccarello shifted to more feminine, bohemian styles, sending out flowing skirts in paisley motifs and shimmery brocade jackets covered with flowers and paired with short skirts. — Reuters
