French fashion lives on with unrivalled drama and creativity

Despite a sense of impending economic doom in France, Paris fashion still rules supreme.

It's not often that the financial future of a nation is topical at fashion weeks, but with France's future entwined with those of some of the biggest names in fashion, this is different.

Bernard Arnault, the fourth richest person in the world and CEO of LVMH, the parent company of Dior and Louis Vuitton, has applied for Belgium residency where taxes are lower.

You get the feeling that the new French socialist government, led by President Francois Hollande, and the luxury fashion industry are not natural bedfellows.

But all will be forgotten when the crowd take their seats in the extraordinary Grand Palais for the Chanel show.
French fashion lives on with unrivalled drama and creativity no matter what.
This is a country which emerged from a revolution with its fashionable feet firmly intact, after all.

The rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, with its enlightened fashions, Empire lines, and his decorative lover Josephine, started a mere five years after the society-altering revolution finished. Nothing stops fashion moving forward in France.

This season there has been a further instalment in the game of musical chairs that sees a new designer anointed at a luxury house almost every season.

This time it is Alexander Wang at Balenciaga.

Now, if I had been asked to predict who would replace the future-focused Nicolas Ghesquiere, possibly best known in Australia for designing Nicole Kidman's wedding dress, I would not have picked Alexander Wang.

I love what he does. His cool-edged, chic, urban collections have become staple pieces in my wardrobe and most of those in my office.

But I have to admit I didn't see him in the Paris line-up that traditionally features more flamboyant, or what I'll call intellectual fashion, the type of clothes which are usually dark and moody and worn by art curators.

One of the most extraordinary things about the week is watching next season's clothes or the most modern looks in fashion yet imagined, shown in some of the most glorious buildings on earth.

You feel like you are watching fashion history being made, while sitting in a piece of
history itself.

A good case in point this week was the amazing Dries Van Noten show in the Hotel de Ville with its serious archways, marble staircases and chandeliers.

It may just be the backdrop to the clothes but this is a serious backdrop.

Stella McCartney always shows in the Paris Opera.

Her show is this Monday at 10am and the light always makes the beautiful, gilded building shine even brighter. Sometimes it is hard to stay focused on the clothes.

And that's one of the reasons why buyers and media hold their breath for Paris fashion week.

New York has its business, Milan has its beautifully made clothes, London has its creative edge, but Paris, well, Paris has Paris and some of the biggest fashion names in the world.