FRANCE: Fashion shows by Stephane Rolland and Christophe Josse

The Autumn/Winter haute couture week kicked off with a strong but conservative first collection from Stéphane Rolland. Floor-sweeping gowns, backless suits, long oversized sleeves and grecian layers recalled red carpet glamour. Rolland favoured an empire line and draping, giving the fabric more room to flow. An exquisite dress made from crepe georgette was intricately beaded, draped in layers and delicately twisted at the shoulders, to give a modern grecian feel. Continuing the Greek theme, some of the dresses featured bold, jeweled laurel leaf brooches. Strapless dresses featured heavily as did sharply tailored suits, which were cinched at the waist and backless in some cases. The collection has a lot in common with his work for the fashion house, Jean-Louis Scherrer, where he was head designer for ten years. Having left Scherrer to start his own fashion house, Rolland tried to temper the over-stated glamour associated with the Scherrer label, with a younger, fresher collection of his own. "Of course, it goes without saying that you feel more free when you answer to yourself. You can play around more easily with the image, because it belongs to you. So you are entirely responsible for yourself. And when you defend another fashion house, there is a double responsibility. You are responsible for your creation, but you are also have a responsibility to the business that employs you, and to the the artist that preceded you, in this case Jean-Louis Scherrer. And that is not easy," he explained. Meanwhile fellow young French designer Christophe Josse presented his second solo Autumn/Winter collection since leaving the house of Torrente, his trademark femininity and elegance clearly visible in the sleek silhouettes and softly draping satins and organza of his more understated show. The theme of "1930s Berlin meets 1970s London" seemed a contradiction in terms, but somehow glamorous feather bowers and flapper-style cocktail dresses in a palette of elegant blacks and aubergines sat well alongside the multicoloured punky make-up and a few key pieces in brighter begonia and golden yellow. "The inspiration for the collection was a bit of an improbable meeting between Zara Leander, a German cinema star from the 1930s and 40s, and maybe David Bowie or Helmut Berger, with more streamlined, 1970s silhouettes; which gave it a more modern feel and contrasted with a bit of a retro side which I really like, and which let me create a silhouette that is very 2008," Josse said after the show. Underneath sober tweed jackets and feathered boleros, bodices were sheer and fitted; blouson sleeves alternated with sleek tailoring, whilst several pieces were heavily ruched, including the hood of the lace bridal dress, a mass of ruffles from which the model peeped, her face barely visible among the white tulle. Sumptuous satin and velvet, wide-legged pinstriped trousers and a handful of red carpet showstoppers made this a collection that shouted grace and refinement, even over the thumping beats of the somewhat eclectic soundtrack.

ITN Source | July 4, 2007

Tags:. .contrasted. .velvet. .glamour. .bowie. .refinement