Many designers have reimagined what a glitzy, glamorous post-lockdown uniform looks like. For Paco Rabanne’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection, creative director Julien Dossena took viewers inside a dreamy doll house-esque setting with decadent garments to match. Model’s carefree joy was put on full display, jumping up and down in sparkly, bejeweled, and dress-up fashion. All’s fun, and all is very French, with a soupçon of English eccentricity thrown in. “The good thing about fashion”, says Julien Dossena, “is that we’re proposing clothes for the next six months. So we hope that in six months’ time, it’s going to be a big party; everyone will be getting out for days and days, nights and nights….”.
There was a naive and spontaneous air to the lineup – a mashup of codes and references to extravagant lifestyles from a bygone era, but not so long ago. It was also much more. Dossena has a knack for mixing disparate elements into something entirely new, and highly seductive.
The tradition of designer Paco Rabanne – who became famous for producing clothes with diverse and unthinkable materials – appeared as shiny dresses, in which the glitter of lamés and brocades referred to the house’s signature chainmail.
Rich fabrics like tweed, satin, velvet and tulle added a dynamic, feminine flair to exuberant prints found on sharply-tailored suits and flowing, lace blouses.
Dossena also highlighted the stones that adorn the clothes this season, directly honoring the origins of Rabanne, who started his career as a jeweler.