PARIS FASHION WEEK: The Walk Through at Christian Lacroix
01102008408.flvI will admit outright to a frank, severe and unashamed bias when it comes to all matters of Lacroix. Short of going minimal (which luckily doesn't appear to be on the cards anytime soon) I find it difficult to criticise the outright optimism and exuberance with which this man meets the challenge of each new collection. This was, of course, a ready to wear show, but so often it felt like couture - Lacroix's self-declared 'Laboratory of Ideas' and his true love. Indeed, when his own programme notes describe an outfit as 'a nattier blue taffeta corset painted with gouache-style bouquets embroidered with bronze guipure over drawstring ruffled khaki doupion skirt with grey knit jacket and carnation', you know you're not in for a workaday simplicity. Indeed, it was a veritable dressmaking deluge. Lacroix packed the fabrics, layers and embellishments one on top of the other in a glorious mismatch of texture, textile and technique. It was dazzling - and I only wish the SHOWstudio cameraphone and my own lacklustre cinematography could amply reflect that. There were the vaguest hints of Lacroix's favourite 19th century references: short dresses, poufed at the hem with ruffles, were christened 'Degas', and flounces, gathers and bows created weightless bustle effects at the back of strict little skirts and jackets boned like corsets. There were also references to Spain - witness the Velasquez black bows in the hair, traje de luce 'paseo' Matador embroidery, or the short black bullfighters cape and and head-sized scarlet carnation gracing the second model. For all this, it didn't feel like a history lesson: Lacroix focussed around a tight, short silhouette, providing direction and boundaries for his flights of fancy. Complex as much of it was, it still looked light, carefree and coquettishly feminine - the very being and essence of Lacroix.