July 5, 2022 |
“I think it was the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and then last week in the US happened. It was the feeling that there’s going to be a fight, still, and it’s going to be a long one, and we have to prepare for it. It’s a radical sensuality. No apologies,” Julien Dossena said after a Paco Rabanne show that mixed delicate femininity with fetish elements and cyber goth styling. Presented under scaffolding in a very hot basement in Palais de Tokyo – and a soundtrack titled “Sweat” – the collection bolstered girly silhouettes with the chainmail heritage of the maison in looks that took no prisoners. “It wanted a strong femininity: a fight-back femininity; a stomping girl. There’s a little violence and a little anger. It’s the notion of subversion and how to subvert materials like latex in a sophisticated way, and mix it with metal mesh as if it’s morphing with latex. It’s kind of punkish,” Dossena said.
Photography courtesy of Paco Rabanne.
