The Paco Rabanne brand has always been about looking towards the future. And if there is one place where the future has been warmly embraced, it’s Asia, maybe more specifically Japan, where every kooky techie trend seems to catch on like wild fire. So it seemed somehow fitting that three years into his gig at the house, Julien Dossena would turn that part of the world for inspiration.
It was a fount of fantastic ideas. Everything, from the Velcro-tab flat boots and the beautifully tailored front-pleated and slightly samurai style pants, through the crouching tiger harness top and embroidered dress, all the way to the mesh metal pieces speckled in kawaii cute flowers, made this show a forward-thinking winner.
Even the pieces that were less linked to Eastern staples were clever and deftly done. The “run in my stocking’’ white tank top that opened the show was just cool. Ditto the Space Age curves built into a gray dress with pink shading used as a contrasting color to accentuate the lines. And the judicious use of flame embroidery blazing out around the lower back or licking the shoulders of a glossy jacket was feisty.
But perhaps the most futuristic thing about this fantastic show was that some of the pieces, granted not enough of them, were already available to purchase in the brand’s just opened store in Paris and on its newly launched e-commerce website. This collection was the perfect example of the appeal of “see now buy now” shopping. Good fashion waits for no man.