Paris Fashion Week Starts With Not-So-Basic Basics

Yesterday, Vaquera officially turned 10 years old. It’s been a hell of a ride for the New York brand, which is helmed by Bryn Taubensee and Patric DiCaprio. In a decade, the subversive label has gone from an underground punk kid project to a commercial success story, even if they’re still working through some financial struggles. (What brand isn’t right now?) They’re also now the opening show at Paris Fashion Week, as they’ve been since March 2022 when they decamped there from New York. It’s one of the hottest tickets in town, and for good reason. Vaquera’s energy, on the runway, in the streets, everywhere, is unmatched.

This season, the electric vibes were no less charged. There was the requisite kink and kookiness by way of a lacy white bodysuit with cones at the bust, chaps worn as pants, and a giant furry coat constructed to look like a big old grizzly bear. But what was most intriguing about the Spring 2025 collection was the–dare we blaspheme the Vaquera vernacular?–wearability of the clothes. There were denim and pleather capris, cropped and tailored jackets, preppy oversized rugby shirts, and oxfords, all designed with slight but impactful nods to Vaquera’s DNA, like underwear as outerwear and you-could-swim-in-them jeans. A fabulously fucked-up, forward-motion vision of American sportswear.

Taubensee and DiCaprio also added bags, sunglasses, and shoes to their repertoire this season, the standout being the knee-high cowboy boot with a kitten heel. In their collection notes, the designers referred to the new ready-to-wear and accessories as “New Basics.” They added, “With time comes change, and a new confidence is emerging, one that is seeing a new pathway to engage in that same conversation whilst not diluting the founding intent.”

Aside from Vaquera, if anyone else should be feeling confident right now in fashion, it’s Ellen Hodakova Larsson. The Swedish designer won the illustrious LVMH Prize two weeks ago and presented an outstanding collection in Paris earlier today.

For spring, Larsson explained that her intention was rooted in the idea that “materials that usually serve as a compliment, now become the main attraction.” This manifested in a spectacular fringe dress made entirely from zippers, tailored to the gods in such a way that it formed fluidly and organically around the body. A skirt was cut and molded from old riding boots, as was a two-toned corset. Classic Argyle knits somehow fit in seamlessly with the wonkier craft-focused pieces, like an opening dress designed to look as though someone lifted the model’s hips and backside and belt up to her shoulders. Speaking of belts, Larsson’s now-signature woven-leather belt skirts were shown twice, and there was a fantastic dress made entirely from starched collars.

Larsson’s collection was an unabashed flex of craft. It was also a celebration of the purity of clothes and the force that can be yielded by something as banal as a button.

Craft is something that Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri is wont to celebrate. She did so this season with a pared-back black-and-white palette and a sporty sensibility inspired by Amazonian goddesses. Lovely off-the-shoulder and belted suits gave way to maillots of various types—beaded, asymmetrical, mariniere-striped. There was a checkered racing jacket with matching pants, basketball-esque shorts, and track pants, as well as some very cool knee-high lace-up sneakers. Again, basics, but not. The collection was about, as the brand posted to its Instagram page, “the intersection of fashion with athleticism and the freedom offered by sports clothing.”

Chiuri, aptly so, also invited the multidisciplinary Italian artist and archer Sagg Napoli onto the runway to shoot bows and arrows. Charli XCX and Billie Eilish’s hit “Guess” bumped over the speakers while Yseult and Rosalia danced and sang along in the front row. The energy was palpable, especially with Sagg Napoli dressed to kill in Dior and shooting to win.

The big finale of today was Saint Laurent and talk about a bullseye. Anthony Vaccarello nailed spring 2024 with a collection that didn’t reinvent the heritage of the house per se but instead revisited some of Yves’s most important work through new designs that fit like a glove in the context of today. Many of the models were actually dressed like Yves himself, glasses and all. Oversized, double-breasted suits were perfectly slouchy and fit just so over the body. Vaccarello's bohemian skirts and flowy tops were light and refreshing and not too on-the-nose, as were the colorful layered skirts and cropped evening jackets that offered up a delightful platter of texture play. And the insanely cool leather jackets felt as much like collector's items as they did pieces to just throw on and go, which is exactly what fashion, in a moment where self-expression is king, should be right now: the essentials, amplified.

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