Paris Fashion Week Day 3 Recap: Chloé, Balmain, Rick Owens, and More!

Designers may have been heating up the catwalks, but outside on the streets of Paris, it was glacially cold. However, that didn’t stop editors and stylists from getting their share of ‘fits from Chloé, Balmain, and Rick Owens. Get our take on Day 3 of Paris Fashion Week!

Wanderlust Reality at Chloé
Ever wonder what it would be like to travel on a motorbike across Europe and the Middle East in the 1970s? Globetrotter Anne-France Dautheville was the starting point for Chloé creative director Clare Waight Keller’s Fall 2016 RTW collection in Paris this week. The free-flowing works of caftans, motocross jackets, and shearling capes were as functional as they were romantic. The silk neck ties sweetened the narrative and we’re guessing this simple accessory will re-appear in high street styling.

Balmain’s Surprise Swap
“Wigs were on the menu for Balmain’s Fall 2016 collection with supermodels including Lineisy Monteiro, Ysaunny Brito, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Alessandra Ambrosio swapping their coveted hair colors and lengths in real-time for opposite shades. Naturally, the iconic French fashion house’s smoldering fashion was also present with lace mini dresses cinched at the waist, skintight skinny trousers, sheer mesh stripes, and cleverly-placed cutouts in abundance—anchored with come-hither thigh-high boots and modern takes on the buckle-accented loafer.”
Read our full review of the Fall 2016 RTW Collection here.

Poetry at Rick Owens
The human backpacks from last October were not present at Rick Owens this time around, but humanity was on the mind for the American fashion designer. That is, the changing environmental system and its implications for mankind. The Fall 2016 RTW collection was a blend of delicately draped neutral looks in pony skin, leather and mohair. Cocoon-shaped silhouettes and puffer gowns served double duty as statement-making ensembles and warm, protective garb for a dynamic world.

Wild Wild West at Manish Arora
The Western American narrative is oft-referenced in designer collections, but not in the ways Manish Arora conjured up this past week. The presentation’s 37 looks swung from literal horse embroidery on knit sweaters to more subtle illustrations on form-fitting blazers. Yet, Arora consistently has surprises up his sleeves and incorporated Dutch wax print in a strange cultural melange.

And The Rest…
Feline instinct dominated Alexis Mabille‘s cat-adorned blouses and mini-dresses without the costume effect. Barbara Bui fascinated audiences with a patterned array of bomber-esque capes. Fashion disruptor Vetements brought the fire with creative director Demna Gvasalia’s revved-up thigh-high boots and text-heavy sweatshirts, made for this generation.