Parisienne Trend for Fall Winter 2009
French Glamour Influences Designer Runways for Autumn
Jul 27, 2009
"The Parisienne is fall’s chicest muse," according to Vogue magazine’s Ultimate Catwalk Report for Autumn Winter 2009. UK Vogue's Fashion Director Kate Phelan suggests budding fashionistas should take inspiration from French movie icons like Catherine Deneuve, Brigitt Bardot and Jean Seberg.
Whilst the Paris designer runways of Fall Fashion Week 2009 offered up some French glamour in the form of Left Bank chic and mock Parisienne couture, New York, London and Milan also displayed a love of all things francophile, via Oscar de la Renta, Dolce & Gabbana and Erdem.
Left Bank Style and Bourgeois Influences
On the Fall Winter 2009 runways, daytime wear was influenced by Left Bank leanings, Breton stripes and sharp French cuts in black and white. Evening wear took on a more Bourgeois feel with extravagant gold brocades, French-blue satin, rich reds with couture-like ruffles, showcased by designers such as Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci and Rosksanda Ilincic.
What brings classic pieces bang up to date is this season’s dramatic silhouettes with bold shoulders, soft draping, ruffles and big bows, sharp cuts with strong skirts shapes with puffed hems in stylish silk and satin. French glamour channeling this year’s Parisienne look is both sophisticated and sexy.
Breton stripes take on a whole new look in sequins or cashmere, whilst extravagant brocades and cascading ruffles provide a hint of couture at ready-to-wear prices. French berets also make a welcome return, courtesy of Missoni and Sonia Rykiel.
Key Pieces for a Parisienne Look
Channel some Left Bank chic with a classic trench coat, in the cut of the season (exaggerated shoulders and dramatic necklines). Add a sharp pencil skirt, French ballet pumps and a sassy striped top. Traditional Breton stripes are updated with oversized bows, sequins and dramatic shaping, just to keep them interesting. Find them in traditional navy or classic black and gray. A little black dress is a wardrobe staple too, but keep it short and flirty with ruffles or bows. For workwear, a knee-length narrow-belted structured suit epitomizes this fall's French chic, one of the season's biggest trends.
Coco Chanel – Coco Avant Chanel
When it comes to classic French glamour, no designer embodies the look more than Coco Chanel. The early life of the woman who gave women the Chanel jacket (heavy trims, metal buttons), the signature scent Chanel No.5 and the 2.55 chain bag, is portrayed in a new movie entitled Coco Avant Chanel (2009) staring the current darling of the French movie screen, Audrey Tautouis. The movie is loosely based on L’Irrégulière, a biography by Edmonde Charles-Roux, which documents the designers early years, from child poverty, to a failed singing career to her first foray into the fickle world of fashion and the establishment of the House of Chanel. It is an extroardinary journey from penniless orphan to legendary couturier.
Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (1883-1971), Coco’s iconic timeless designs are synonymous with classic cuts and comfort (Chanel abandoned her corset in favor of comfortable clothing), a revolutionary act, at the time. Her classic 2.55 chain-strap bag (which has proved the inspiration for the proliferation of designer chain-strap bags for 2009 season) is said to be based on her experiences as a child in an orphanage, where the caretakers would dangle keys from their waist.
Fall 2009's Francophile Bent
Whether it's a pencil skirt, a sequined striped top or a glamorous satin evening gown, this season's touch of Parisienne glamor has to be one of the most chicest and timeless of Fall 2009's trends. Fashion's current francophile bent is likely to transcend seasons; watch out for more Parisienne glamor in Spring 2010.
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