PFW: Rawhides and rodeo at Nina Ricci

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Mar 5, 2017

Go West Young Man, famously said newspaper editor Horace Greeley and that phrase echoed through Nina Ricci, where Guillaume Henry visited the Rockies and High Plains, mingling in a huge dose of French chic.
 

His catwalk show in the Grand Palais opened a touch slowly with generously cut coats and mannish jackets, with large collars and an overly formal feel. But it suddenly changed gear with a series of great figure-hugging looks, as Henry did what he does best – seductive Parisian fashion.
 
Revealing lace tops exposing sporty bras, worn over full flared skirts with Texas stars and naïve circus performers all looked great, as did crinkly cocktails dresses worn over lace tights and metal toed pumps. But the standout passages were a trio of dresses, with giant graphic faces dissected by huge buckled belts and topped by a clown's ruffled collar. Henry's color palette was spot on, especially compared with his previous season and the unfathomable obsession with Roman purple.
 

"Fun, enthusiasm and some not too serious fashion. Style more than fashion, where I wanted to play with a French aesthetic but with some Western and circus influences," explained Henry.

At Nina Ricci, Henry is a somewhat contradictory designer who manages to mingle formal bourgeois attire with more racy fare. Though when he hits the sweet spot, as he did today, it can be a joy to watch.