Initial reaction:

Anthony Vaccarello knows a thing or two about drawing lines on the body. Exposing erogenous zones in clever ways is his speciality, and this time around it was up to the stars and spangles to create sharp graphic silhouettes. The stars were from his first ever road trip out in California and the spangles were the hardware that throbbed through the collection. The models put their best leg forward as asymmetric pleats and one-sided longer lengths gave the ensembles pure energy. “I really wanted it to be nonchalant. The asymmetry was the best way for me to inject movement into the clothes,” the designer explained. In the audience, Donatella Versace was present. She is overseeing Vaccarello on his upcoming Versus collection and immediately declared how much she loved the show. Alongside her were Beyoncé’s backing dancers Larry and Laurent Bourgeois aka Les Twins. The designer’s show may be on the quiet first day of Paris fashion week but the frisson of energy on the FROW and in the mega line-up of models (Anja Rubik, Lily Donaldson and Karlie Kloss formed a power trio of Vaccarello babes) ensured that his star is most certainly on the rise. 

A Parisian in America:

“I think I was inspired by my recent LA trip but through a Parisian French way,” said Vaccarello after the show. “No cliches. I wanted it to be very sharp and fresh.” Shown against the Eiffel Tower, Vaccarello was dead serious about his Parisian angle on Americana. Yes stars exploded as suede appliqué, as metal-lined cut-outs and as enlarged shapes that created a new sort of V-shape at the hems of mini-mini skirts. And yes, there was cowboy derived brown suede. Yet the collection was unmistakably a Vaccarello one. These clothes weren’t exactly road trip material but they certainly turned onlookers’ heads as though they were starstruck.   

Heavy metal:

There’s always an element of hardware in every Vaccarello collection. He’s at ease with the heavy metal as much as he is with fabric.  This season, Art Deco-esque belt buckles resembled abstracted D-rings, star-shaped grommets placed cut-outs all over the body and finally when Depeche Mode’s “Behind the Wheel” segued into a piano version, Vaccarello’s variation on fringing appeared as waves of metal rods attached to the hems of skirts and dresses. They made light tinkling noises like tubular bells and when the party set get their hands on this, they’ll definitely have a new spin on the act of making an entrance.