FRIDAY,MARCH6,2020 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O NEWS | A1 1
OLIVIERSAILLANTESTROP/GETTYIMAGESBENBROOMFIELDBENBROOMFIELDEven when it is stripped down to its most
minimal staging, aChanelshow is a spec-
tacle. Massive, white sculpture-like seating
weaved through Paris’s Grand Palais like
icebergs floating atop a mirrored runway.
Models casually walked arm in arm, some-
times conversing with one another. That’s
a rare sight on a runway and brought forth
a feeling of female togetherness that
helped end the month of shows on a
brighter note.Balenciagaimmersed its Paris audience in
a dramatic and apocalyptic world, reflect-
ing on the state of our own. Guests were
surrounded by LED screens projecting
stormy seas and skies on fire, and the en-
tire runway was under water. An almost
entirely black collection of leathers, capes
and sharp-shouldered silhouettes added a
sartorial connection to the doom-and-
gloom mood.While most designers this season looked toward the future,
LondonerMolly Goddardtook inspiration from the past with a
collection full of childlike nostalgia. The feeling was optimistic
and grand, as models clad in sweetly coloured Fair-Isle sweaters
and layers of taffeta and tulle gowns walked through guests
seated at dining-room tables. For a moment, the chaos of fash-
ion month and the world swirling around it disappeared, as the
crowd happily sipped on white wine and munched on bread
and butter.SpecialtoTheGlobeandMail