The Best Looks from Paris Fashion Week Fall 2020

From Dior all the way to Chanel...

By Kerry Pieri, Carrie Goldberg, Leah Melby Clinton and Barry Samaha, Harper's Bazaar

Paris is formally known as the City of Light, less formally as the city of love, and, for those who are sartorially inclined, the capital of the fashion industry. It is home to some of the biggest luxury labels with the most prolific designers who create collections that are directional, reflective of the times, and, simply put, make us dream. From Christian Dior to Louis Vuitton, follow our reverie of the best of Paris Fashion Week fall 2020. 

Rochas

Alessandro Dell’Acqua's last collection for Rochas was part grand finale, part retrospective. The designer looked back at his highlight reel for the brand and reintroduced his greatest hits for Fall 2020. To avoid the collection feeling too somber in its nostalgia, bold colors like orange and violet kept the mood light. Designers are bringing back black in a major way this season, but Dell'Acqua's take on the color was celebratory, most notably in the form of a glittery fringe coat. The designer's signature embroidery, which makes appearances in his work for No. 21 as well, was artfully placed throughout the collection, both for day and evening. Dell'Acqua is departing Rochas to focus exclusively on No. 21 in Milan, but in keeping with his festive send-off, the standouts this season were the bright, monochromatic looks. While the tailoring and construction of them was serious, the impact was anything but. —Carrie Goldberg

Rochas

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Meet Dries Van Noten's party girl. She's not sexy, donning micr0-minis, sheer, leather, and beyond—she's still into layering, print-mixing, and an eclectic mix of color, but she's got a dark side and an edge. Almost-black lips and Billy Eilish-esque neon streaks in the hair made this girl feel subversive, one that plays by her own rules. The more-is-more layering of the collection accomplished that attitude as well, with brocades, feathers, and embroideries all stacked one on top of each other in all forms. The scramble of prints, references, day pieces with eveningwear, and more were the type of mashup that only Van Noten could pull off. The result felt part punk, part '80s, and a bit disco. Come Fall, our guess is that when all the layers are deconstructed into single items on a rack, Dries devotees will have loads to load their carts with. —Carrie Goldberg

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Maison Margiela

Imaxtree

Maison Margiela

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Maison Margiela

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Maison Margiela

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Maison Margiela

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Mugler

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Mugler is nothing if not s-e-x-y, and designer Casey Cadwallader seemed to take that DNA to heart when designing his latest for the label. Much of the brand's tailoring was cut in leather for a vampy twist on uniformity; the eveningwear—if you could call some of the body stockings wear of any kind—felt more apropos for performance-wear and daring red carpet appearances than for the party girl set. However, the finale look on Bella Hadid seemed to bridge the gap between the ultra-sexy and daring night-out dressing, as did the oversized blouses and coats that could prove daytime staples for Mugler devotees, before they change into their barely-there dresses by night. —Carrie Goldberg

Mugler

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Mugler

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Mugler

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Mugler

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Lanvin

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As with any new designer at the helm of a storied label, Bruno Sialelli didn't need to look further than the history of Lanvin when designing his latest range. And as an ode to the brand, one of the only French houses founded by self-made woman, Jeanne Lanvin, Sialelli delivered options for every and any hard-working girl—from leather capes to the chicest of coats and trousers. Accessories in the shape of perfume bottles celebrated one of Lanvin's most successful entrepreneurial ventures into fragrance; the eveningwear felt strong even in its soignée shapes. In another nod to Lanvin's female-driven success, the formal silhouettes hearkened to the '20s, when Lanvin was expanding her name into menswear, home, furs, and more. Sialelli's co-ed show made it clear that menswear was still a priority for the house along with accessories, which had a fresh, covetable look that should be a hit with the handbag-obsessed come Fall. —Carrie Goldberg

Lanvin

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Lanvin

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Lanvin

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Lanvin

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Saint Laurent

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Anthony Vaccarello mined the '90s —"well-behaved and overly bourgeoise elegance"—for a show that leveraged latex and ladylike jackets in equal measure. It's all about a little vamp mixed with a sweeping updo and gold button earrings. The contrast is welcome—deep greens and red plaids, polka dots and panther set against high shine patent. You're not quite sure if these clothes are for the office or the after hours club, but in that red fur accented coat, who even cares? -Kerry Pieri

Saint Laurent

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Saint Laurent

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Saint Laurent

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Saint Laurent

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Christian Dior

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Maria Grazia Chiuri wears her politics on her sleeves, a sentiment that is reflected in her designs for Christian Dior. Throughout her tenure at the storied maison, she has done away with the fancifulness of her predecessors, instead creating collections that are grounded in reality and comment on women’s rights in a profound way. She continued this feminist streak for the fall 2020 season, erecting a makeshift venue at the Jardin des Tuileries that was filled with neon signs that read “Consent,” “Women Raise the Upraising,” “Patriarchy = Climate Emergency,” and “Feminine Beauty Is A Ready-Made”—art works that were made by Claire Fontaine, a collective of feminist artists. The lineup presented was equally as powerful, conveying fortitude and confidence through relaxed trousers, checkered suits, and diaphanous dresses paired with biker caps or bandanas, and flats boots or sneakers. Indeed, each look appeared unencumbered by societal dictates, representing women who dressed for themselves and not the male gaze. —Barry Samaha

Christian Dior

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Christian Dior

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