The Invalides in Paris was the right place for this fashion show. Since 1840, the dome construction has been a pompous grave, and the most important fashion show of the week - Lady Gaga, Catherine Deneuve and Karl Lagerfeld sitting in the front row - was a burial: Hedi Slimane had the Celine look buried.

Celine stood for adult, but sensual minimalism - and was loved by fashion editors as well as customers. Slimane has not left much of the aesthetic of his predecessor Phoebe Philo. The pitch-black funeral procession was led by a model in a polka-dot dress - the dress is a single oversized bow.

Minimal is at Slimane at most the skirt length. His Celine women are wearing very short babydoll dresses, with their balloon-like skirts, flounces, and shimmering bolero jackets that make you think of prom queens. The sugary, the net hats and sequins breaks Slimane by rivets, leather, cowboy boots and black. A lot of black.

Rockstar look for women and men

The second major innovation and clear sign that the French luxury group LVMH wants to go one step further with Celine: The brand is now also available for men. Sharply cut black suits, slim ties, leopard coats, elegant slippers, metallic shiny fabrics and casual leather jackets.

In many ways, the show was a déjà vu: Hedi Slimane showed the typically glamorous rock star look that made the Saint Laurent brand an absolute bestseller. Whether he will succeed in the same trick with Celine, must first show.

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Photo gallery: Black Spring

Hedi Slimane was far from the only one with a colorless collection. So far, spring has been considered a time for color, as shown in Paris: black and white are in the spotlight in the spring of 2019. Amongst others, Rick Owens, Balmain and Valentino displayed collections that are mostly or completely framed in these non-colors.

Rick Owens

Black dominates Rick Owens. Against the backdrop of a burning pyramid, he sent sculptural designs down the catwalk. For some designs, multi-ply panels were draped around women's bodies. Heads and arms were in wireforms. Antennas, spacers? One does not know.

However, it would be a mistake to think Owens would just have the totally crazy program on it. There are, for example, the floor-length dresses with geometric patterns, cut at the hips. Their bearers look like beings from another world, goddesses from a dark future.

Balmain

If Rick Owens is the Dark Lord, then this time Cara Delevigne gave the Knight of the Light. In a silver breastplate and a flowing white coat, the model opened the Balmain show. Designer Olivier Rousteing plays a lot with structures this time. Knitted, folded, embroidered, perforated: smooth surfaces are the exception.

After 16 white outfits it was speckled black and white and striped. The dresses and skirts are constructed asymmetrically, the shoulders are bulging. It was colorful in the middle of the show. Bright jeans blue combines Rousteing with pastel colors, silver and skin tones. In the last third of the collection, black was in the foreground: tuxedos and tight leather dresses for the queens of the night.

Valentino

From black back to white, Pierpaolo Piccioli performed at Valentino. After a whole series of simple black designs - including a one-piece, one-piece, baggy cut with puff sleeves and train - it became light again. The beauty of this collection lies in the details. A wide dress pleated Piccioli so that it looks like the wrinkles are coming from the wearer's belly button.

Because Valentino is an Italian label, it does not go without a handle in the paint pot: In addition to the classic Valentino red uses Piccioli dark and bright violet, orange, green and yellow. Partly the colors mix in large floral patterns. Spring 2019 will not be such a monotonous thing.