From an absurdly opulent film shoot at the Opera Garnier to a Chanel catwalk along the Seine, fashion week offered a very different view of Paris on Tuesday from the riots of recent days. The country is still licking its wounds and facing up to the deep societal divisions exposed by days of violence sparked a week ago by the police killing of a teenager, said AFP. The riots have died down since the weekend, and it was the other France of unbridled luxury, craftsmanship and conspicuous excess that took center-stage on the second day of haute couture week.
In the stone cloisters of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs adjoining the palatial Louvre, Elie Saab unveiled his latest collection to a rapt audience of VIPs, including Alicia Silverstone, on Wednesday. Amid the historic venue, Saab presented a couture show that astounded attendees with its intricate detailing and magnificent silhouettes and lived up to the venue’s grandeur, The Associated Press reported.
Fendi put a fitting exclamation point on Paris couture week by drawing an A-list crowd to the opulent Palais Brongniart. Naomi Watts, Zoe Saldana, Cardi B and Shakira were among the celebrities seated front row for a show that dazzled with its artful fusion of jewelry-making and deceptively simple couture.