Paris Fashion Week Fall 2017

The finale at Chanel Fall 2017 via Vogue

The Fall 2017 shows ended with a trip to the stars

Since I was out of town for half of Paris Fashion Week, I wasn't able to write reviews on all the top runway shows, but I did want to share thoughts on three of my favorite collections from PFW. Miu Miu went over-the-top with fur of every color, Nina Ricci brought restrained sex appeal, and Chanel lifted off with a space-themed collection, complete with a rocket centerpiece at the Grand Palais that "launched" during the finale.

I'll discuss more Paris collections in my Fall 2017 trend recap, but for now, check out my favorite looks from these three standout collections:

Miu Miu

Because Miuccia Prada is the head designer at both Prada and Miu Miu, she is able to design clothes using both her head and her heart. While Prada is her intellectual approach to fashion, full of cultural references and thought-out aesthetics, Miu Miu is where Miuccia Prada gets to have fun and be spontaneous with her designs. Sure, there isn't as much of a deeper meaning with her Miu Miu designs, but they sure are gorgeous, and at the end of the day, isn't that what clothing should be?

For Fall 2017, fur was the word. Her invitations (covered in bright purple fur) should have been a big hint, and sure enough models walked out on the fur-covered runway (also purple) in fur hats, coats, boots, and gloves, dyed every color of the rainbow. 

The mushroom hats reminded me of those fabulous Marc Jacobs toppers a few years back; I'm sure these Miu Miu hats will be all over fall editorials, as the Marc Jacobs ones were. I also got hints of the palace guards in The Wizard of Oz, with their penchant for fur trim and dramatic shapes.

But beneath all the whimsy, Miu Miu is, at the end of the day, a commercial brand. Miuccia Prada reinterpreted street style favorites like the puffer jacket and chokers, and as always, the accessories stood out as pieces that are sure to be gobbled up once they hit stores. The crazy fur coats, in their kaleidoscope of colors and prints, are destined for street style greatness, and there were even plenty of mini dresses, adorned with oversized sequins and blossoming fabric flowers, for Miu Miu's favorite red carpet up-and-comers (Maisie Williams, Natalia Dyer, and Jenna Coleman, to name a few). 

Chanel

Sometimes it feels like we've given up on travelling amongst the stars, or at least we've stopped seeing it as integral to the advancement of society (I mean, yeah, we've got enough problems on this planet alone, so I get not prioritizing reaching other ones, but still) but we've also sent spacecrafts to explore Pluto, and just recently SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced his plan to send two people on a trip around the moon in 2018. Perhaps we are on the verge of a new era of space exploration.

It's an idea that certainly caught the attention of Karl Lagerfeld, who has often used technology and innovation as inspirations for his Chanel designs. And if the giant rocketship sitting in the middle of the Grand Palais wasn't enough of a hint for you, this season, Lagerfeld was all about space.

Everything was metallic, glittery, and structural, exactly the way Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century envisioned future out-of-this-world style. My favorite looks were the trio of quilted space blankets, cloaked around the models like futuristic cocoons. Don't know how well those will translate to real world styling, but they were great on the runway.

In takeaway trends, teased hair and knit headbands are back, and just as we saw at Saint Laurent, glitter silver boots are going to be the footwear choice of Fall 2017 (bonus points if paired with sparkly tights). 

Nina Ricci

Nina Ricci is often a show that goes a bit under-the-radar in the midst of Paris Fashion Week, but it's one of my favorite brands season after season. For Fall 2017, Guillaume Henry was inspired by the Wild West, but he interpreted the shapes and styles of cowboy attire in a beautiful Parisian way.

The collection itself was less colorful than my roundup of favorite looks would lead you to believe (I just love bright colors, you know me!) starting out with nudes and browns and blacks, interrupted only here and there with bursts of yellow and blue. The western vibes were clear, but there was also an unmistakable sex appeal, a little 80s, with big shoulders and cowl necks. When I think of Nina Ricci, I always think of a covert sexiness; not in your face like Balmain or Versace, but vampy and sultry. The many navy and black looks certainly did the trick.

Of course, there was also some fun to be had! Henry was previously the head designer at Carven, after all. Amongst the neutral tones was an electric blue coat with matching pants, top, shoes, and furry purse, a look so perfect that I'd love to see Gigi Hadid rock this outfit just as it was presented on the runway, tousled hair and all.

The final looks of the show were all bubblegum pink, and—shocker—I was obsessed. Hopefully next season I can score an invite to the Nina Ricci show just so I can wear the pink sequin skirt and giant furry coat while sitting front row! 

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What was your favorite Paris Fashion Week collection?