Runway Report: Paris Fashion Week Autumn 2022 Day 1 Recap

The most glamorous season of the year – Paris Fashion Week – is finally here. 

Here are our picks for the most memorable shows from Paris Fashion Week Day 1:

Saint Laurent

90s Belgian elegance saturated the atmosphere at Anthony Vaccarello’s Autumn 2022 show for Saint Laurent. The collection marked yet another triumph in the young designer’s career. Sleek silhouettes, with floor-sweeping skirts peeking out from under heavy coats and croc jackets, read like an homage to European royalty. Gathered-at-the-waist ‘corset’ dresses and velvet sets coloured the range with a dash of nonchalant coolness, while the top-heavy suits and the magnificent faux furs helped it maintain a sense of regality with a subtle nod to the European aristocracy in the last minutes of its heyday.  

Christian Dior

Maria Grazia Chiuri is adamant about building all her collections upon the classic Dior silhouette. This time, she does it by harnessing the power of futurism. Dune, of course, was a prominent influence. The classic cinched embroidered dresses were updated with leather corsets with prominent topstitching – something on the border of sci-fi and sportswear. The all-new range of accessories also included bulky padded gloves that evoked the imagery of motorsport athletes, along with tiny glasses in white acetate frames.             

Ottolinger

Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient’s autumn 2022 collection for Ottolinger is the new era of edge. In what could only be described as post-apocalyptic fantasy, the designers used bulbous knitted tops, knot details and asymmetric cutouts to question the role of beauty, or, rather, ‘prettiness’ in the digital age. It was Tron meets Mad Max. The range of velvet looks in black and electric blue was particularly striking and relevant, given Gen Z’s resurged interest in the textile. 

Nanushka

Nanushka’s autumn 2022 show at Paris fashion week was nothing short of monumental, especially considering that it is a small luxury brand run by a married couple, Sandra Sandor and Peter Baldaszti. The collection employed the ‘modern bohemian’ brand’s beloved buttery-soft faux leather in coats, pants and accessories. This season, however, the design duo embraced tailoring even more, with a range of slouchy double-breasted suits that had a unisex quality to them.