PFW SS25: The Standouts

Saint Laurent

Paying homage to some of Yves’s original muses, Anthony Vaccarello reminded us all what the Saint Laurent woman is. Oversized suiting brought the power, while the metallic brocade boleros and romantic bohemian layering offered that Rive-Gauche charm on the other end of the spectrum. The vintage warriors will be all over this one! Oh and welcome back to Bella Hadid who made her striking runway return.

Schiaparelli

Daniel Roseberry imagines Schiaparelli’s SS25 collection as something for the girls now, and for our granddaughters in 50 years time. ‘Future vintage’ (a term we’ve loved using too)  took the house’s signature codes and deployed them across piqué bodysuits and jersey halterneck dresses. While much of the show was rooted in glamour, giant mismatched gold jewellery and surreal shoes laced the collection with undeniable Schiaparelli surrealism.

Issey Miyake

Inspired by paper’s multifaceted forms, Issey Miyake's SS25 show found beauty in the nuances of the honest material. The lightness of tissue paper was represented by white dresses wafting down the runway. Crumpled paper was even given its moment to shine, with trench coats and trousers made of washi allowing texture to take centre stage. Finally, it wouldn’t be a Spring/Summer show without flowers…Groundbreaking right? And yet for Issey Miyake, literal flowers and stems were meticulously placed on model’s faces for the ‘makeup’. Flowers, in! Foundation, out!

Carven

Louise Trotter proves there is an art to dressing and undressing. As celebrated in Carven’s SS25 show, the simple act of taking off and putting on clothes was illustrated through layering and draping. Sheer red gloves accented the dresses and added a layer to the Carven silhouette While the heavier, more structured pieces such as an ecru blazer, styled with a light draped blouse played with the idea of layers revealing themselves, Carven has become a go-to for fresh wardrobe classics.

NICCOLO Pasquelleti

Niccolo has grown up. From initial showroom appointments supported by talent spotter / PR maestro Tamara Dolgieva, to becoming a finalist in the LVMH Prize, to an accomplished show in a garage in Paris. Well, the leather blouson and cargo trouser look was chic but he still retains his craft approach and we love where he’s going

Valentino

Alessandro! Valessandro! Alessantino - whatever, we wanted it all. Each look styled in his inimatible way the accessories were yummy, the vintage-inspired tailoring was divine and we loved how he used polka dots.

Miu Miu 

If 16 year old Sunday Rose - the daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban - is the inspiration point for the Miu Miu SS25 innocently sporty and naive collection, it all makes sense. Mrs. P does love a starry catwalk and Alexa Chung, Lil Simz, Willem Dafoe and HiIlary Swank, amongst others, certainly did that. Great casting (ok, some a bit too young?) and great styling. Wrap that sweater around your waist, stat.

Mame Kuroguchi

Quiet and considered. Full of heart. That’s what you get with Maiko Kuroguchi’s collections. She invites you pre-show to discuss her starting point (this time black ink blots to make larger shapes in her notebook, as well as the wooden mould of the inside of a Japanse paper lantern!) and she joins you to watch the show. That’s how zen she is. She’s not frantically running around backstage touching up models and adjusting hems. It’s all thoughtfully prepared to her satisfaction prior, and the result is utterly breathtaking