Victoria Beckham and Keira Knightley are proof – in Paris, black is always the new black
No sooner had the Oscars red carpet been rolled up than the Hollywood elite were once again boarding private jets to fly across the Atlantic for the next round of style moments at Paris Fashion Week. Proceedings kicked off with Le Grand Dîner du Louvre – a fundraiser that looks set to become the French answer to New York’s Met Gala, coinciding with the museum’s new exhibition, Louvre Couture: Art and Fashion – Statement Pieces.
It’s an invitation which called for some serious style, one that was met by the vast majority of guests with the French woman’s favourite fall-back: black.
There was nothing boring about these gowns, however, from Keira Knightley’s intricately embroidered, strapless peplum gown by Chanel (complete with a matching black clutch and heels) to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s full-on sequinned, corseted number by Balenciaga, to Victoria Beckham’s slinky gown of her own design.
Tellingly, anyone who was actually French was also flying the flag for monochrome. Justine Triet, the film director best known for Anatomy of a Fall, wore her black satin, barrel-legged suit with nothing more than a slash of red lipstick – if any outfit were a byword for Gallic cool, it would be this. Caroline de Maigret, the French model, also went for a black trouser suit, although hers boasted a subtle, silvery shimmer which perfectly complemented the hardware on her Chanel bag. And Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu – practically the nation’s patron saint of midlife style – turned up not just in a black gown, but with black opera gloves, heels, sunglasses and a clutch to match.
“I have always been impressed by the elegance of French women and how effortless they look,” says Tumisola Ladega-Hewitt, the founder of clothing brand Ladéga, which practically majors in monochrome. “Black is such a refined shade. It’s a timeless, classic colour: quiet, yet bold. As far as I’m concerned, an all-black silhouette is incredibly understated, yet powerful and artistic. It’s a versatile, sophisticated and a fail-safe option for any time of year.”
Not for nothing did the most famous of French designers, Coco Chanel, once say: “I imposed black; it’s still going strong today, for black wipes out everything else around.” Credited with inventing the little black dress in 1926, Chanel democratised the idea of an easy-to-wear, elegant basic – as Vogue called it that same year, “a uniform for people of taste”. Since then, black has been integral to the language of the brand, which regularly casts everything from its classic skirt suits to its most dramatic gowns in monochrome hues. Now, all-black outfits are synonymous with French style leaders, from Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt, to Ines de la Fressange and the late Françoise Hardy.
Many shy away from black in the fear that it can be draining, especially on anyone over the age of 25. However, pairing different textures within the same outfit will guard against this: just look to Michelle Yeoh, the actress, who teamed her high-shine black dress with a sumptuous fur shrug. Or follow the lead of model Eva Herzigová, who embraced the almost-black strategy, in a midnight-hued chiffon dress with a matching, glittery cape.
It’s significant, too, that no one who wore black at the Louvre dinner chose anything other than matching accessories – the beauty of this colour is that it looks best when it’s kept consciously, even starkly, simple.
Colour is fabulous and joy-bringing, but this was not the message from the Paris fashion elite last night. It was a reminder that, for this tranche of the industry at least, black is always the new black.
