The Best Looks of Paris Fashion Week Fall 2017

Nicolas Ghesquière showed his fall collection inside the Louvre among 17th and 18th century sculptures, and underneath the glass Pyramid, allowing guests to look up the night sky. Much like his first collection for Louis Vuitton, this one was a collection of chic pieces perfect for wearing in any metropolitan city in the world. This fur, worn over non-denim “denim,” captures that sentiment.

Miu Miu was fun. In the wake of all the political turbulence and the immigration crisis, fashion can be a glamour escape. With paillettes, fur, and plastic, she summed up that message in this look.

Karl Lagerfeld encourage his audience to leave earth behind and blast off into the Chanel universe. That led to many futuristic and metallic looks. However, even in the future galaxy Lagerfeld believes there will be occasions that warrant fancier dress, and for that he sent out a black sheer and feathered evening dress, embellished with black flowers.

Sarah Burton was inspired by a trip to Cornwall, where she stumbled upon the magical “Clootie” trees, or wishing trees, which are a part of the Celtic tradition in the area. All the loose threads on this look are representative of the ribbon tied to the trees, and all of the embroidery on the dress were inspired by church pew pillows discovered nearby, at St. Senara’s Church. A beyond beautiful dress, and a beautiful story.

Kym Ellery served up many silhouettes her fans will love – including her great crop flare, now in a patent, and a new fringed sleeve on this belted tunic.

Lingerie has never been so easy to show off. All one needs is one of Stella McCartney’s oversized, see-through knits.

Horse blanket as women’s coat? Very chic, especially when created by Hermès.

Chitose Abe offered up denim this season, and she also mixed tradition with sport in her tweed puffer coats. Her pants, with multiple zippers undone, created a new shape that girls will be sure to covet come fall.

A vision in white, with cherries on top! Valli did what he does best, and this evening dress is original and charming.

Much like his pre-fall collection, Pierpaolo Piccioli sent out a series of beautiful dresses. It was so nice to also see two pant looks in the mix, including this head-to-toe printed velvet suit.

At Céline, Phoebe Philo sent out strong coats, billowy dresses, and this standout number: a shirt dress printed with a beautiful map, will be one many girls will be after come fall.

Julie de Libran went in an arts-and-crafts direction this season, and this red pointelle knit and patchwork skirt were a favorite.

Denim at Dior! Maria Grazia Chiuri is working to reconnect the storied house with a younger generation, and denim is the way to do it.

While pastels were the dominant color theme, this chic well-cut camel coat was a favorite.

What’s a fall collection season without some truly standout outerwear? At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson knocked it out of the park with this mixed materials peacoat.

Vanessa Seward upped the glam factor on her casual-chic aesthetic for Fall 2017, evident in a slate gray patent leather coat with kick-flare hem.

Virgil Abloh’s Off-White girl grew up for Fall 2017, but didn’t lose her streetwear edge, evidenced here by pairing a prim skirt-suit with a hooded sweatshirt.

Marant showed a number of prints and silhouettes that she is know for, and her devoted following will rejoice. An embroidered, sequin-encrusted denim jacket felt new and certainly drew the attention of the young It-girls in the front row.

Somehow, Paris Hilton is having a moment again. Her famed silver chainmail dress, recently reinterpreted by Kendall Jenner, has perhaps influenced this chainmail off-on-shoulder blouse and drape-y skirt. The look is nostalgic, futuristic, and modern all at the same time.

Newcomer Antonin Tron caught the attention of press and select buyers last season. This season, the young designer decided to do a full blown runway show, showing the jersey dresses he’s known for, and strong outerwear, like this cropped jacket in black.

Clare Waight Keller’s swan song, according to the show notes, was a story of the Chloé girl “escaping down a rabbit hole of decades.” She used a palate that she is known for – creams, peach, lilac, and tobacco and ochre, and this shearling is precisely what Chloé”s bohemian girl needs for the cooler months. That, and the new Pixie bag, a bracelet-handled mini bag.

It’s rare to see Lily Donaldson on the runway. it’s even more rare to see a well cut coat over a perfect white slip. Well done, Bouchra Jarrar.

At Dries Van Noten, show-goers found themselves flipping through a book of prints from seasons past. The book was printed on the occasion of Van Noten’s 100th show, and Carolyn Murphy, Amber Valletta, Alek Wek, Caroline de Maigret and many others took a turn on the runway. It was a beautiful collection, filled with plenty of Dries-isms–the sequins on this look demanded your attention, while a streak of pink on a fur stole reminded the audience of Van Noten’s mastery of color. It was no surprise, then, that as he came out for his bow the entire room gave him a standing ovation on such a special occasion.

With this look’s embroideries, fur trim, heavy fabric, plethora of colors, cut-away skirt, sequin boots, scarf, braids, and one eye doused in colored eye shadow under anyone else’s guidance, this look would have been a farce. Under John Galliano, this closing look was one of the most covetable looks of a very beautiful collection.

Anthony Vaccarello’s sophomore collection for Saint Laurent, much like his debut, referenced an early 80s moment in the house’s history. However, by incorporating in Hedi Slimane’s love for leather, Vaccarello offered a collection that was at once referential of the past yet offered numerous options for today’s girl, including a slew of sexy, sparkly, going-out looks for the finale. A favorite from the collection was a black mini featuring an embroidered and sequined flower which spanned the fabric between a deep v-neck, and a high, high slit.

There is a lot to love about Glenn Martens’ Y/Project, including the scrunched up oversized jeans, the scrunched down, oversized boots, and a re-purposed football (as in, the European kind) scarf. This look is the epitome of Martens’ skills in proportion as well as his keen sense for what the kids want.

Simon Porte Jacquemus expanded his keen sense of tailoring for his fall collection. There were dozens of excellent suit jackets, interesting necklines, and matador hats to boot. Among all the suiting looks there was an elegant blouse with strong shoulders and a deep v neck. The proportion play was on point, and one could easily see a young French girl pairing it with a pair of jeans for a fun night out, or the full runway pairing: a great pair of kick-flares.

Olivier Theyskens presented the second collection for his eponymous collection in Le Train Bleu, a gilded space in the Gare de Lyon. This look’s corset nods to an elegant evening that may have occurred in that old-fashioned space, however his grey denim jeans firmly routed the look in modern times.