Paris Fashion Week – the last of the fashion capital parades – always leaves us with something to think about.
From the suspense of who will helm Chanel after creative director Virginie Viard departed last season, to Jonathan Anderson’s playful collection for Loewe, these are Citizen Femme’s highlights from Paris Fashion Week’s SS25 shows.
The Highlights
Saint Laurent
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Seemingly steps away from the feminine sensuality of AW24 that debuted earlier this year, Saint Laurent’s spring/summer collection looked to late founder Yves Saint Laurent’s personal wardrobe as this season’s muse. Models wore oversized suits – an 80s take on the office siren – for androgynous power stances. There was a characteristically feminine edge to the collection too – Yves Saint Laurent himself was known to playfully diverge between the two – with the billowing (and incredibly low cut) blouses of the 70s.
Valentino
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With Alessandro Michele at the helm, Valentino’s SS25 collection was guaranteed to be nothing short of show-stopping. The creative director is known for his flamboyant and art-like clothing, whether designing red carpet looks for celebrities or the latest runway shows for Gucci. With his first season at the helm of Valentino, and a new access to the brand’s prestigious archive and extent of resources, this spring/summer collection was one to remember. Rather than coherent and thematic like the collections we are so used to seeing, Alessandro Michele moved through the decades and the styles of various periods. We saw everything; from Michele’s signature bow details to soft forms and whimsical prints, while the dramatic sound of broken glass crunched under model’s feet. Valentino’s SS25 collection was defined by the brand as “the moments that make existence memorable” – and the entire show was one of these moments.
Loewe
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Jonathan Anderson toyed with the idea of wearability with Loewe’s SS25 collection. Doll-like curves defined the runway as the brand fused modern wear with touches of 1846, the brand’s founding year. Anderson took Georgian-style hooping skirts and dresses and added everyday staples such as T-shirts and jackets for a fun and unexpected twist. The same modernity and history was fused through the show’s location: Château de Vincennes in Paris, with a singular Tracey Emin artwork, The Only Place You Came To Me Was In My Sleep, for a dramatic backdrop to the clever collection that boasted plenty of detail. The trapeze dress was decorated with small diamond pleats that were actually tears in the fabric, and took 10 hours to rip and delicately sew. The real showstopper? The mother of pearl trench made from shells that were cleaned, cut and applied by hand to the coat for an effervescent finish.
Hermès
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When you think of Hermès, it’s most likely a Birkin or Kelly that springs to mind: no brand has built a leather legacy quite like this and the spring/summer 2025 collection by Nadège Vanhée honours Hermès’ heritage of leather workshops. The setting – decorated with wood and canvas to add to the workshop vibe – had no natural lighting. Instead, spotlights shone to enhance the sheer materials the collection was made out of this season, highlighting the curves of the body through them to give the effect of a sketch or drawing; the first stage of a collection before it comes alive.
Chanel
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After Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard (who had helmed the French fashion Maison since 2019) left last season, all eyes were on the brand who have yet to announce their new artistic lead. The suspense continued with the SS25 show as no one appeared from backstage to take the spotlight following another successful collection. Helmed instead by the brand’s studio designers, Chanel paused to honour its history for spring. Set in Paris’s regal Grand Palais, the brand’s recent and distant history came alive. Tweed jackets and vests were Gabrielle Chanel coded, modernised with thigh slits and caped necklines, while the Peter Pan collars felt apt for a brand that moves with time, but never seems to lose its unwavering youth.
Gabriela Hearst
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During spring/summer 2024, Gabriela Hearst was concluding her successful stint as head designer of Chloé, with a joyful collection set along the Seine. Now focussed on her eponymous label, spring/summer 2025 saw matrilineal heritage and female celebration – a characteristic of Hearst – infused throughout, with nods to Athena, Aphrodite, Niamh, Kamala, and others through ethereal fabrics and Greek tassels.
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Lead image credit: Saint Laurent SS25
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