Paris Fashion Week

Spreading a little ‘ooh la la’ onto the fashion scene, Paris has spent the past few days hosting the spring / summer 09 fashion week finale. And what a way to end the season; with the likes of Gareth Pugh, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, DIOR and Givenchy all unveiling their forthcoming collections. Once again, accessories were the name of the game and came in every shape and size imaginable. From hats to bags, boots to berets, the designers ticked every accessory box going.

Bag-wise, expect clutches to continue at the top of the charts, seen clasped daintily between model’s hands on the catwalks of Balenciaga, Lacroix and Dries Van Norten. The latter also taking a shine to big, black bug-like shades. And not wanting to be outdone, Karl Lagerfeld persisted with his monochrome palette and popped a pair of dark black circular shades onto models as they headed on down the runway.

Another big player at Lagerfeld and Lacroix and in fact Andrew Gn was the use of cuffs incorporated into the outfit, and we’re not talking cuff detail on clothing either. This is all about separates – think punched-out leather detailing, multicoloured materials and fossil-like adornments. For extra drama, mix with over-sized necklaces and bauble-esque earrings a la Gn, or do as the French do (or should that be Sonia Rykiel) and invest in a cashmere beret – c’est magnifique!

Rykiel also proved that not all sunglasses next spring will be big and bulbous, opting for a 70s white rimmed frame with graduating lens. Hussein Chalayan on the other hand, decided to opt out of using lenses altogether and chose to go all futuristic, using plastic wrap-around glasses that could easily have passed for 3D specs instead.

From head to toe and feet were covered up with candy coloured contraptions at Jean Paul Gaultier, complete with ankle-tie ribbons whilst at Givenchy, over-the-knee boots were the focus footwear, although we’re not sure you’ll get away with them on the beach!