SS25 Fashion Month is over, and after four-plus weeks of chaos we’re sure you’ve also been propping your eyes open with tooth pics. If that’s the case, there are probably some big Paris Fashion Week moments that you missed thanks to sleep deprivation, so here’s our roundup of the shows you need to know.
Ann Demeulemeester did not disappoint
Ann Demeulemeester’s SS25 collection was a romantic ode to rock’n’roll, and brand new Creative Director Stefano Gallici showed us that he got the brief from the get-go. Clean tailoring, sleek flowy silks, laces, and grungy tees were styled together, giving grunge and ‘70s rock but with a clean, soft, vulnerable essence. Gallici delivered on what Ann does best: making clothes for the punk and rock scene, giving this currently bygone genre some new light and energy.
Comme des Garçons cooked once again
Avant-garde queen Rei Kawakubo brought hope and light to Comme des Garçons’ SS25 runway. A series of puffy, rigid white looks that felt like ancient Greek Doric columns made out of cake. Oversized, blanket-like dress structures followed, ending with whipped cream-esque, fluffy dresses. Just as always Kawakubo gave a voluptuous, abstract and experimental presentation like we’ve never seen before (and we’ll never see again, because she’ll come up with something equally unfamiliar next season).
Chanel’s design team came through
For Chanel’s first season post-Virginie Viard, the house’s design team came in clutch with a collection that returned to the Grand Palais after four years, a true Chanel landmark. The collection was an ode to “women who freed themselves from the cumbersome gaze of society,” and featured plenty of the house’s infamous codes, like tailored skirt-suits and tweed jackets, as well as some new and exciting pieces, like tassel-covered jackets and rainbow fur coats. With no new Creative Director yet appointed at Chanel, who knows if its design team will be behind the next collection too. If so, at least we now know they’ve got it nailed.
Ottolinger dived into the deep end
Ottolinger’s SS25 collection, titled “Ottonymous” was inspired by the movement of abstract illusion of the body as resembling the migration of sharks drifting between cities. The show opened with models walking out from the mouth of a giant inflatable shark, revealing the shredded, deconstructed, punk-meets-couture vibe of the collection. The Berlin-based design duo, Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient, behind Ottolinger played on the “shark week” theme with tops inspired by life vests and wetsuit-style trousers labelled with the slogan “‘2 girls, 1 surfboard”.
Junya Watanabe showed out
Abstract master Junya Watanabe didn’t fail to amaze us for yet another season. This time, he worked with “modern recycled materials”, using reflector pieces, soundproofing foam and car interiors. The collection was a dystopian, spacey showdown of looks that seemed to have come straight out of Space Odyssey.
Vivienne Westwood said women only
For the first time in about a decade, Vivienne Westwood was focused solely on womenswear. Previous seasons would show all-gender clothing that were wearable for women and men alike. But this season Kronthaler said: no men – these clothes are built for women. The pieces were feminine – some more avant-garde, some more sophisticated – in bursts of different colours and catering to different types of women. It’s good to see Kronthaler move forward and bring his own touch to the label.
SAINT LAURENT suited up
Women in suits? Groundbreaking. Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello was inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s personal style at SAINT LAURENT SS25, from the sharp, wool suits to the thick glasses – and a series of female Yves impersonators walked down the runway, Bella Hadid being one of them (she’s making a comeback guys). The tailoring was flawless; its opulent ‘70s influences and strong shoulders made a case for androgynous fashion and celebrated the unisex style icon.
Christian Louboutin was a fever dream
This show had it all: synchronised swimming, pole dancing, photographer Dave LaChapelle jumping in a pool, and dozens of red bottoms. Christian Louboutin collaborated with the legendary photographer to put on a show that will forever live in our brains rent free. The duo brought out the French synchronised swimming Olympic team for a ‘50s pin-up-inspired performance which ended with Dave himself jumping in the pool.
Paloma Wool played with ASMR
The Paloma Wool runway show had its usual chic, sheer fabrics and clean silhouettes plus a multi-media ASMR performance. “This was a collaboration with my lifetime friend Carlota Guerrero, she always art directs our performances and shows,” founder Paloma Lanna told Culted. “We were watching videos of ASMR and we wanted to collaborate with New York and Berlin-based jewellery maker Anna Santangelo. And we came up with the idea of creating jewellery that will make an ambient sound.”
Abra threw a Hannah Montana-themed show
You may know Abraham Ortuño Perez from designing cult camp shoes such as LOEWE’s balloon pumps and JW Anderson’s chain loafer mule, and his SS25 Abra collection was nothing different. A collection inspired by beachy aesthetics and Hannah Montana, models wore mesh printed dresses, shopping bag-shaped boots and scuba top jackets. It was light, it was pop and it was fun.
Lacoste looked back at the archives
For Lacoste’s SS25 show, the brand looked back at its founder René Lacoste’s archives. Unveiling a collection that blended breezy, relaxed silhouettes with slouchy tailoring, Lacoste was beach-ready this season, blending a picture of sunny shades, casual cuts, and comfortable pieces. Stepping onto a runway made of sand was the final piece that made Lacoste’s vacation vibes.
Casablanca kicked it into a new gear
Casablanca’s Spring 2025 show took inspiration from the vehicular sphere that designer Charaf Tajer said was an ode to “the subcultures of Los Angeles.” The likes of Lucky Blue Smith and Alton Mason stepped out on the runway, decked in an array of looks from tennis-inspired pieces to surfing apparel. With cars on the runway and featured as motifs on different looks in the collection, Casablanca’s SS25 show sped into the fast lane.
Cecilie Bahnsen went heavy on gorp
Cecilie Bahnsen put a gorp-core spin on feminine florals at SS25, dropping a collection that blended organza gowns featuring frills and flower motifs with tailored anoraks designed with The North Face, strappy bags, and another collaboration with footwear brand ASICS. As “a tribute to those mountains, their beauty and the inspiration they hold,” the show linked up with Japanese artist Takashi Homma who worked on the visuals projected in the show space and the immersive music that played.
Victoria Beckham was inspired by undressing
Victoria Beckham is the GOAT when it comes to elevated, classic basics, known for wearing them herself as ‘Posh Spice’, in the ‘90s, and now dropping a collection that spotlights them at SS25. Writing in its show notes, Victoria Beckham’s brand said "Every day, within the intimacy of our wardrobes, women experiment with the dynamics between body and clothes.” Tops were draped and tied in sensual silhouettes, contrasted with tailored trousers. Overall, the collection was, as Beckham’s show notes outlined, an exploration of “the wardrobe not only as a space in which we dress but where we undress, too."
Sacai channelled clean cut utilitarianism
SS25 gave us classic Sacai. Creative Director Chitose Abe celebrated 25 years in the industry, and brought a new French take on her staples. The vibe was dystopian, subversive prep fueled with subversive trenches and trench dresses, peacoats, army-surplus jacket-inspired pieces and marinière tops.
Stella McCartney was free as a bird
Stella McCartney hit up Paris Fashion Week, revealing an SS25 collection inspired by birds. The collection wasn’t a “Big Bird”-style array of feathers, though; it was an elevated and clean collection characterised by tailored silhouettes, a neutral palette, and delicate fabrics. From shoulder-padded suits which brought a boisterous element of ‘80s power-dressing to the runway, to transparent pleated dresses which were delicately femme and puff-ball jackets, the collection wasn’t just inspired by birds; it's also set out to protect them. Materials were vegan and sustainable, with leather made from recycled plastic bottles and faux feathers only.
EENK was clean
Lee Hyemee’s EENK hosted its SS25 show in Paris titled “A for Aesthetics” and that’s exactly what it delivered on the runway. Inspired by vintage archives and tradition, the brand looked to its roots in Korea this season, seen in intricate details inspired by Bojagi, a traditional Korean wrapping cloth, and many other materials and colours that take root in its culture and nature. Colourful, clean, and elevated, the collection blended tailored jackets with beaded tops, organza dresses with knotted shirts, and fringed ponchos with tartan skirts.
Featured image via YSL©
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