From see-through tops to transsexual models, Paris Fashion Week has taken a decidedly direct approach to gender issues featuring both daring debuts and tried classics.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
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Black lace and leather at Paris Fashion Week
From remade classics to super sexy lingerie, Paris Fashion Week has gotten off to a revealing start with its pret-à-porter shows.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Laurent
YSL goes black and sexy
Anthony Vaccarello, a 36-year-old from Belgium, is Yves Saint Laurent's new creative director. His hotly awaited debut at Paris Fashion Week Tuesday didn't disappoint. His sleek, black designs proved to be revealing yet elegant, and his hemlines incredibly short.
Image: Reuters/G. Fuentes
Black and nude
In addition to showing a penchant for leather, Vaccarello didn't shy away from showing plenty of skin. But whether leather or lace, black was decidedly his color of choice - which was also a favorite of label founder Yves Saint Laurent himself.
Image: picuture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Mori
Short and sleek
Vaccarello became creative director at Yves Saint Laurent in April, moving on from Versace's younger Versus label. He also quit his own label to concentrate on his work for the legendary French house. According to French news agency AFP, Vaccarello based his collection on a 1982 dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent - against the advice of the late designer's partner Pierre Berge.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Mori
The new face of YSL
The young Vaccarello, who comes from an Italian family, is taking over from Hedi Slimane at the iconic French house. She was known for her grungy rock star chic and 80s glamour - a look Vaccarello has made sleeker and even blacker.
Image: Reuters/G. Fuentes
The fan club
English actress and singer Jane Birkin (center) was among the celebrities in the front row at the Yves Saint Laurent show, together with her daughers, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Camus
Romantic angels
French lingerie label Etam celebrated its 100th anniversary with a hot show on Tuesday. The revealing lingerie collection was dominated by black lace accented by dashes of rose in all shades.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
Lace and flames
The first half of the Etam live show was accented by flames projected onto the sides of the catwalk. Transparent capes and wraps complemented the lacy creations.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
Behind the scenes
Even though the Etam models didn't have much on, there was a lot to be done to get ready for the big show. A large team of stylists and assistants attended to each of the models individually.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
Rose of Paris
Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus started his own label at the age of 19. He's known for playing on traditional elements of French fashion and likes to dabble in assymetry and oversized shapes. Jacquemus is active on Instagram, where he has 217,000 fans, and posted this creation with the word "Rose" - which is the name of the model, Rose Van Bosstraeten.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Laurent
How to wear a poem
"Fashion is poetry... I sell poetry," Simon Porte Jacquemus told interviewmagazine.com. His collection featured angular, playful lines that nevertheless captured a sense of timeless beauty.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Laurent
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Paris Fashion Week opened Tuesday with label Neith Nyer sending four transgender models down the catwalk. Created by young Brazilian designer Francisco Terra, its spring/summer 2017 pret-à-porter collection featured a "Fight Club" theme characterized by a disheveled and distinctly juvenile mix of leather and denim.
Terra told French news agency AFP that his 1990s-reminiscent show was directly inspired by the sex scene between Helena Bonham Carter and Brad Pitt in the 1999 film, "Fight Club."
Facial piercings complemented his cyber punk mix of Chanel-like suits and repurposed leather jackets, accessorized with scarves and embroidery.
Hotly awaited on Tuesday was the debut of Yves Saint Laurent's new creative director, 36-year-old Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello. Though the legendary Parisian house has been known for black, Vaccarello took the color to a new depth in his lacy, racy collection.
What wasn't black, was nude. The designer didn't shy away from revealing a nipple here and there, shortening skirts as much as possible, and topping leather pants with sheer blouses.
Vaccarello said his collection was inspired by an 1982 dress created by the late Yves Saint Laurent himself - even though the late designer's partner Pierre Berge had advised him not to try to emulate the late founder.
One particular eye-catcher in the collection was these sleek statement stilettos bearing the YSL initials.
Wednesday morning, fashion house Lanvin continued the event with its first women's collection by Bouchra Jarrar, who took up the reigns from Alber Elbaz. Jarrar also maintains her own brand and has worked with other haute couture labels like Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix.
As "New York Times" fashion critic Vanessa Friedman revealed in this video on Twitter, the collection relied on classic blacks and white, adding in plenty of feathers and sheer fabrics for an extravagant touch.
Speaking of extravagant, Kim Kardashian arrived in Paris Wednesday for the fashion event, so the party can continue. Paris Fashion Week continues through October 5, with houses like Chloé, Christian Dior, Valentino, Givenchy, Hermés, Chanel and Louis Vuitton set to show over the next few days.
