Paris Fashion week has come and gone, but left with us are the many AW13 wonders we have to look forward to next season including the high glamour of sequins in Louis Vuitton‘s sensual boudoir-inspire collection, the Lolita-esque charm of Valentino‘s dresses detailed with lace overlay collars, and the timeless elegance of designer Christophe Lemaire‘s breathtaking cape coat for Hermès. In honour of all that was relished this February in Paris, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite moments on and off the runway to tide you over till the leaves begin to fall.

 

Isabel Marant is hardly new to the scene, but, following a recent turn in aesthetic, she does find herself new to mainstream fame.

The designer was Paris’ fashion elite’s best kept secret for years, but with the coming season’s collection showing a break from her normal Parisian casual chic in favour of a clean, bi-chromic version of her signature style, Marant has been pushed into the international spotlight.

Dramatic in black and creamy white, the tailoring behind the designer’s AW13 pieces capture the core sophistication of contemporary dressing. Even Marant’s best-selling Bekket wedge sneaker was reinvented for the new collection, transformed into a sleek wedge bootie, available in a knee-high version as well. No doubt, the shoe style will be as popular as the original.

 

The marriage of masculinity with divine femininity set the tone for the Dries Van Noten show with a display of hard and soft elements.

In an ode to silver screen stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Van Noten embraces the sentiment of the duo’s classic “Cheek to Cheek” number and threads the bond between man and women into a collection of ready-to-wear pieces that sees men’s and women’s tailoring side by side in a single look.

Bold tapestry prints, eye-catching textures and oversized tailoring were layered together to create works of dramatic femininity with accents of androgonous charm. Shown under the grandiose architecture of the Hôtel de Ville, the designer’s AW13 collection was a complete marvel on the runway — a symphony of taste and a meditation on modern fashion pop culture.

 

Calla Haynes is one of Canada’s dearest designers living abroad in Europe — Paris to be exact.

Having established herself as a natural when it comes to creating print and pattern design through her eponymous line Calla, Haynes brought her signature girly twist on French sophistication to Paris Fashion Week, wowing critics with the demure grace of graphic separates and floral motif dresses.

Claiming pastels for the season, the designer’s AW13 collection was uniquely shaded with yellow, pink, blue and peach, a palette that exudes precisely the ethereal femininity the brand has become known for.

A collection that showcases the delightful loveliness of being a woman, looks including a stunning floor grazing floral dress (well-worthy of a Southern belle), are a coquettish wink — one blissfully unaware of the grungy masculinity that dominated the AW13 runways. Kudos to the Toronto-bred designer for staying true to her vision.

 

Yves Saint Laurent sampled San Francisco band, Thee Oh Seesto highlight the grunge-inspired direction the label has been heading in as of late under designer Hedi Slimane, a vision culminated in its most recent Autumn/Winter collection.

With Sky Ferreira counted amongst the new faces of the brand, YSL is striking the fancy of a younger set of clientele, and the Slimane’s choice in runway soundtrack is further proof that the designer is playing by her own rules.

Experimental in its makeup, Thee Oh Sees sound  is a lo-fi rock-out that pairs well with YSL’s AW13 collection. Now the questions is, what or who will Slimane surprise us with next?

 

The Bulgari and Purple Magazine Fashion Week party in Paris was amongst the hottest invites of the week. A two-part celebration, the event was the ultimate display of cool luxury.

First guests were welcomed to the historic Café de Flore for dinner, and then shuffled over to the after-party at one of our own personal favourite night clubs, Le Montana. With a packed house and beautiful people abound, Bulgari and Purple Magazine attracted the who’s who of the fashion world and celebrities alike including Karlie Kloss, Waris Ahluwalia, Tilda Swinton and Adrien Brody. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

 

Bedroom eyes met bedroom lips on Louis Vuitton‘s Paris Fashion Week runway.

In a vision imagined by renowned makeup artist Gucci Westman, deep maroon tones saturated lips finding their dramatic match in fair skin, bare of colour. Pristine faces created the ultimate stage for bold lips to command attention, while the subtle use of sheen shadows and eyeliner gave the look an Autumn feel.

We recommend trying this look on when unsure if you should be dressed up or down for a cocktail event, your beauty style will be dress enough.

 

Gypsy culture was the name of the game at Givenchy.

Taking cues from flapper beauties of yesteryear, hairdresser Luigi Murenu re-imagined the head-hugging finger wave and transformed models’ heads into caps, covering the surface with tightly wound pin-curls dyed in vibrant neon colors.

Showcased alongside snake skin prints and a vibrant textured colour palette, Murenu’s hairstyle blended seamless into Givenchy AW13 runway statement.

Published on March 29, 2013