Paris Fashion Week opens with Weinsanto and IFM

Paris Fashion Week opened on a Monday afternoon with the latest graduate show from the master class of the Institute de la Mode (IFM) and a display by Paris current favorite enfant terrible Victor Weinsanto.
 

Weinsanto: Cleverly completely nuts

Paris will always love a bit of a bad boy, and in that department, the city’s latest heartthrob is Victor Weinsanto, who kicked off the latest designer runway season in Paris on a sunny but chilly day.

He has oodles of attitude, a rich imagination and is not afraid to take a few risks, as he did this season in a show staged in the disused basement of a former Holiday Inn in Place de la Republique.

His funky femme fatales appearing in blotchy denim coats that were, in fact, made of leather. Using the same material in kilts, jeans and even his own overshirt when he took his bow.

For evening, he went into a higher gear with silver leather bustiers paired with matching mini-skirts or a jumpsuit worn by a model whose matching silver hair reached her calves.
 
His cast liked spiky boots and shoes and major statement earrings. And when they get married, they do so in corset wedding gowns the better to show off their fitness. While his bridesmaid wear black dresses way of the shoulder cocktails with a full train added.

See catwalk

Victor entitled the collection “Complètement Givré”, a clever pun since it means both completely nuts and completely frosted, just like the silver series in the show. Born in eastern France in Alsace and trained in Jean-Paul Gaultier, Weinsanto is a singular French talent, which, in a moment of darkness and intolerance, we should cherish and applaud. 
 
His clothes are not for the faint-hearted, but this is Paris after all, and he is loved for that.
 

IFM: Looking like a potentially vintage crop

This year’s master’s class from IFM looks like it might be a very good vintage. A good half-dozen fledgling designers showed off plenty of talent, while as many again demonstrated the technical skills and dexterity to have long careers.

As ever at a student show, the self-editing button was switched off, as these young talents strove to stand out from the crowd. Inevitably, there were some absurdities, but overall, when there were, they at least they contained evidence of hard-working students giving their all.
 
At the risk of offending the absent, a half-dozen stood out. Kicking off with the aptly named Steven Chevalier, whose high-color party knights wore multicolored wool bouclé coats, painterly tops and buccaneer boots to pack plenty of wallop. His collection was named “Out Rage”, and one could see why.
 
Reece Liang’s blend of over-painted camouflage and metal mesh had great visual kick as did Darius Betschart’s bold cloaks paired with bloomers.
 
Top marks to some eye-punching cable sweaters and dresses by Clémentine Lagadec Thévoux-Chabuel, where her knits even extended over boxing boots. 
 
Filip Bejek’s collection, entitled “Anastasiia Kleptomanov”, was a neat visual pun on overconsumption. With one of his models carrying a giant stuffed transparent garment bag – as if fleeing the cops, or maybe a bailiff.
 
Each of the 26 designers from 13 countries were allowed to send out six looks. After several score, it was tricky to know who. So, we are guessing one of our favorite looks was Rachel Luurssen, where she out Pharrell-ed Pharrell Williams with a beautifully exaggerated denim jean/cocktail with massive lamb-of-mutton sleeves. She is definitely a name to watch.
 
Elsewhere, bravo for more excellent crochets and knits by Xingyi Jin. Think cool-gal gothic for 2024. And respect to Andu Yeonju Jang for clothes that managed to balance kicky and commercial.
 
Perhaps the most admired young talent was Wenji Wu, who wowed childishly grotesque comic book heroes fighting over knit tops. Later, Richard Baldomà sent out several great chopped up patchwork coats, before following that with an Adonis in a grand singlet gown made of the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag.
 
Today, Kiev is the center of a brave fight to maintain Ukraine’s independence and defeat barbarism by a cruel Russian regime. Shockingly suddenly supported by what we used to regard as the arsenal of democracy.
 
Here in Paris, fashion designers will always be in a struggle to freely express themselves via clothes, shows and ideas. These masters students today maintained that proud tradition. They sought liberty through self-expression. More power to them for doing so.