un moment avec Lee
Paris, France
Comfort and practicality are the least of concerns on Haute Couture runways, but particularly at Julien Fournie, it is easy to wonder if there is any concern for the motion of the body at all. Super narrow pencil skirts were so tight around the knees that the models jerked along the runway unable to find the rhythm of an elegant stride. Easing up as the show progressed, long plastic zippers ran from the hem to the waist or neckline to allow for a proper vent.
Wetsuit style garments and style lines were the basic foundation of the collection, and embellishments like iron on crystals created surface illusions in neon colors on black. Dense at the waist line and then scattered more sparsely towards the hem, the trim at the hem of the large ruffled skirts matched the crystals as well as any piping or contrast panel in the garment. An oversized tuxedo jacket in hot pink with sparkling crystal lapel would be a lot of fun to wear. In the realm of outerwear, Fournie showed a coat with panels mixing faux leopard fur and neoprene with oversized shoulders and zip pockets following the slimming lines slanting down from the wais towards the zip at center front.
Tiger sequins on a pencil skirt continued the jungle theme, which had its most whimsical moment with a plush iguana, encrusted with crystals, hanging over the shoulder as the strap of a bag. A bright blue stole, was extra long and dragged on the floor, nonchalantly on the return walk towards backstage. This blasé party attitude with a sporty twist is what makes Fournie’s collections so different and exciting, and puts him in a category that leans more concert costume than red carpet event. With all the feminine elegance of Haute Couture, I am glad he’s here to shake it up.
- Lee Anderson, Parisian Correspondent
Designer: Julien Fournie
What we’ve said: Haute Couture Fall 2013
What we’ve said: Haute Couture 2012
Photos provided by the designer.
