Stars turn out for swansong of Louis Vuitton designer

PARIS: The celebrity allure of Paris Fashion Week was at its height on Thursday as the notables from the worlds of sports, film and fashion attended the Louis Vuitton swansong show for designer Kim Jones.

Here are some highlights of the fall-winter 2018-19 menswear shows.

STARS ATTEND VUITTON DESIGNER SWANSONG

The stars were out in force to bid farewell to Jones after Michael Burke, Vuitton’s chairman and chief executive officer, confirmed he would be departing the fashion house’s menswear division after six years at the helm.

When Victoria Beckham arrived solo at the Palais Royal show venue, dressed chicly in a beige menswear coat and oversize bellbottoms, that alone was enough to trigger mayhem. But that was little in comparison to the frantic scene that ensued the moment she was joined by her husband, David, in a midnight blue Vuitton sweater, and their 18-year-old son Brooklyn in a jazzy red Vuitton-branded shirt.

To make matters worse, soccer player Neymar then pulled up and sent paparazzi leaping to get close to the stars.

During the show, there were screams of delight as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell both strutted down the catwalk for their final ode to the influential designer.

It’s not known where Jones will be headed — and Versace has not confirmed reports they held discussions to bring him on.

David Beckham, a personal friend of the 38-year-old British designer, came to see him off.

“I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next,” Beckham said. “But it’s been an amazing journey for him.”

ISSEY MIYAKE GOES URBAN

Issey Miyake has been known to travel to the Arctic and the far-flung natural world for fashion inspiration. But on Thursday the Franco-Japanese house didn’t stray far from home — channeling the urban environment.

It may have been a smart thematic way to stay on-trend with the utilitarian work wear mania stomping men’s runways of late.

A utilitarian mac with zippers and toggles, notable for its voluminous proportions and twinned with white sneakers, was colored in a Renaissance-worthy carmine pink. The house designer Yusuke Takahashi always mixes in a gentle touch.

The show demonstrated why Issey Miyake is known as a techno-fabric-loving brand — several designs had an intentional “scrunched” effect owing to stretch tape stitched along the body.

A messy-looking oversized suit in gunmetal, described as “wearable without ironing,” looked useful for those who need to get to work without having enough time to prepare. The model himself had slightly wild hair.

Stripes and bright colors punctuated what was a rather tame display this season.

RICK OWENS’ GREEK MYTHS

Designer Rick Owens used his funky, grungy menswear runway show to explore Greek myths.

Primitive-style fabrics in rough camel hair flannel and double-knit cotton were fashioned in slashed and almost-Biblical frayed silhouettes. The collection was inspired by the arrogant King Sisyphus, who was condemned by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill and down forever.

The story was, said Owens, a lesson that it’s easy to fall into “unhealthy cycles” in real life.

“Does this mean unhealthy cycles and base urges are an integral part of the human condition?” asked the designer-cum-philosopher. His 40 designs, which relied on layering, seemed to answer Owens’ rhetorical question in the affirmative.

Huge lapels on an unstructured rock-colored coat unfurled as if they were being yanked open, above bare legs. While some white tunic looks evoked an inverted blown-up sleeve, slashed sections seemed to hint that the garment had been damaged by the impact of a boulder or by a long perilous journey.

Chains that descended down some bare chests over nipples evoked bondage but other designs included covered-up looks — huge paneled statement coats — as Owens wrestled with opposing instincts.