paris autumn winter 07 08

L'Air du Temps chez Ricci
by Timothy Hagy | photographed by Yannis Vlamos

March 3, 2007 - The most anticipated show of the Paris season was undoubtedly Olivier Theyskens' debut at Nina Ricci, where Fashionista hoped that he could do for his new label what he did for bankrupt Rochas, and where financiers hoped that he could not.

Filling those expectations is a monumental task, and the young Belgian designer, who grew wanting to be a girl, turned to the House's famous fragrance, L'Air du Temps, for inspiration for his fall collection—a series of vaporous long dresses, the color of fog, some dripping in swan plumes, others trimmed in fur.

The legerity of the clothing was mirrored by an open side of the tent looking out into the barren trees lining the Jardin de Tuilleries, bathed in an artificial fog.

For day wear, there were straight legged pants worn with short sweater dresses, but the real beauty of the collection was in the diaphanous gowns, one trailed by the whiff of an apple green train.

Theyskens said after the show that he had used color sparingly in order to create the effect of the air of time. That translated into various nuances of basic gray, black and white. The result was a stunningly poetic collection, which was like music in the ears to exhausted fashion editors on the final day of the Paris shows. Whether or not Theyskens pleased the finance committee of Ricci will be determined by how harmoniously the incoming sales figures blend with projections.

 

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