Paco Rabanne F/W 2012 – Paris Fashion Week

By capitalizing on the legacy of Paco Rabanne’s 60’s era touchstones with modern updates and an urban warrior minded spirit, the latest collection from the label offered a heady dose of party ready confections meant to evoke the ultimate in luxurious, statement making finery while marching precariously to its own beat.

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Paco Rabanne Fall 2012
Paco Rabanne Fall 2012

Paco Rabanne Fall 2012

In their words: 

With this new Fall/Winter 2012-2013 collection, PACO RABANNE puts the spotlight on the original vision of its founder, transposed into today’s world.

Unique vision and techniques. Essential, timeless values, a true brand heritage. The utopias of the ‘60s and ‘70s have cleverly morphed into an urban, dynamic wardrobe with mastered audacities. At the very heart of this stylistic reflections, there is an encounter between two currents, avant-garde and elegance.

With the same innovative spirit that sparked its very beginning, the House feeds off a vision of architecture applied at all levels in the collection: construction, assembly, structure, rhythm of filled and empty spaces, details -visible or invisible – it’s a real architectural language that has been put into place. In osmosis with the spirit of PACO RABANNE, this inspiration is also the meaningful link between past, present and future.

This collection is inspired by the image of singer Françoise Hardy in the early 70’s. A troubling beauty. A femininity with no complexes and far from the usual clichés.

The PACO RABANNE 2012 silhouette is clear-cut, sharp. However, its graphic contours are in perpetual motion. The precision of the line is expressed by newly found comfort. The kimono sleeves and the jackets designed like supple armors are the strong signatures of the season. The techniques invented by Paco Rabanne in the 60’s were minutely studied and modernized to convey comfort without impairing visual impact. The coat of mail is now positioned on tulle or warp and weft; it transforms itself into reflex knit, combining the softness of mohair and the high-tech of reflecting fiber. All the ‘‘no couture’’ elements are adapted to the standards of contemporary luxury.

The ‘‘8’’ and ‘‘69’’ lozenges are lighter and have more versatility. Thanks to the different assemblages, they move away from all-metal. As inserts, panels, striping or puzzles, they set the rhythm of the collection with legitimacy.

Eclipse, a game of leather strips or articulated metal, a modern calligraphy that hides or unveils. The woman’s body appears, stylized but free of hindrances.

In keeping with the success of the cult ‘‘69’’ bag, pulled out of the archives and relaunched in the Spring of 2011, the House has continued to produce editions of its iconic pieces. A jumpsuit in metal pieces designed in 1970 by Paco Rabanne for Françoise Hardy is reborn in metal mesh, as a knit version as well as in warp & weft.

The mini metallic dress, designed in 1969 and worn by Brigitte Bardot in a famous photography by David Bailey has been re-edited in an original version, along with a number of new variations.

The palette of colors is mastered: gold and silver, the House signatures, but also optical white, cement, ash, stainless steel, black, sustained by a hard blue and a boreal orange flash.

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Photos: Paco Rabanne

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