Viva la France at Fashion Week 2013 organised by FIDé Fashion Weeks

Presented by The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and organised by FIDé Fashion Weeks, Day 9 of Fashion Week 2013, held on Thursday, 17 October 2013, at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, where the Atelier Chardon Savard workshop took place in the Crystal Ballroom.

Fashionistas, members of the media and fashion students got a rare talk on the beginnings of Haute Couture by respected French fashion journalist, Jean Paul Cauvin. He was also there to present Dominique Chardon Savard, the principal of the said fashion school in France. Established in 1988, the fashion school is famed for teaching its students to not only sketch, but to be able to draft, cut and sew.

The talk was followed by a short fashion presentation by five winning graduating labels: Elie Grandjean (Going East) showed contemporary silhouettes with a touch of eastern influence in the use of wicker sticks and raffia as leifmotif; Timothé Grand-Chavin (Glory to Women) used religious images as prints, and employed interesting materials into his collection – lead wire sewn onto the piece of garment that allow the wearer to change its shape, or oil painting images onto canvas before cutting them out to form patterns onto the emsemble; Nofar Gabrielli (Colourful Men) mixed a riot of colours and prints onto each ensemble and from afar, one thinks that its prints, but upon closer inspection, they are actually knitted (!) and not woven materials; Soleyanne Baland (Inner Lights) translated technology with humour as she made accessories out of plastic tag fasterners and introduced complicated cuts and shapes within each outfit, while Odessa (Trust Them) weaved a political message onto their capsule collection, printed their own fabrics and even attempted different techniques onto their pieces. It was their first showcase outside of Paris and they were certainly elated and excited.

Before the excitement could subside, French Haute Couturier Alexis Mabille began his show with his A/W 2013/14 collection, with the mood, colour palette and silhouettes inspired by the Italian Giovanni Boldini. Washed hues of dove grey, faded pink and mint are mixed with touches of gold and silver. Mabille created movement in his gowns through the use of shapes and volumes, with his signature bow motif applied on almost every ensemble.

The second to show was On Aura Tout Vu by Livia Stoianova and Yassen Samouilov. Showing 29 looks, they decided that they wanted to switch it up and showed part of their A/W 14 collection in the beginning and part of their S/S 13 collection for the second half. So the audience got to see the ‘dark’ before transiting into ‘light’. Beetle wings were cleverly attached to create shapes and forms while plexiglass were specially cut out to create the ‘cerebral’ and ‘skeletal’ connectors of the human mind and body and attached to the outfits. Most well-known for their stunning jewellery pieces, the On Aura Tout Vu show yesterday was a particularly interesting one as clothes took the limelight with crystals taking a backseat.

Closing the show was Julien Fournié. A recognised invited member of the La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, Julien Fournié has worked with brands such as Celine and Jean Paul Gaultier, and is one of the most exciting designers to watch. For Fashion Week 2013, Fournié is the man of the hour as he shows his own Haute Couture collection as well as a collaboration collection - but more of the latter on the last day! Showing 22 looks, his silhouette is that of an elongated feminine form, very much inspired by the Italian painter and sculptor, Modigliani, who worked mainly France. According to Fournié, it is also to depict the mythical animal, Chimera. Colours run the gamut of chocolates, inspired by the palette of Austrian symbolist painter, Gustav Klimt. He showed sinuous silhouettes and exaggerated the elongation with sky-high stilettos by Walter Steiger, strategically-placed crystals, leather strips, fur trims and hand-painted prints by his good friend, artist Anbraude. It all looked simple, but the execution is pure Haute Couture in terms of its cut and fit.

For this evening’s shows, the team from Neville Hair and Beauty, London, led by Ms Elena Lavagni and Mr Stephen Low created the hair styles. "The regional talents we have had the pleasure to work with here in Singapore have shown such tremendous finesse in terms of their craftsmanship and finish that we're thrilled to be a part of. We hope to be invited back to the next instalment of Fashion Week," said Elena Lavagni, Director/Owner, Neville Hair & Beauty, London.

The M.A.C. team, led by Mr Romero Jennings, created the makeup looks for all three shows.

 SDV is the official logistics partner for the Fashion Week 2013 in Singapore, delivering all the delicate and high-value clothes and accessories from multiple origins - Beijing, Dubai, Korea, New York and Paris - under the best time and reliability conditions. Fashion industry players as well as the media are encouraged to meet the SDV fashion sector experts from Europe and Asia Pacific, to discover its new solution: iD by SDV. Their booth is located right in front of the Fashion Hall stage, at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Hall F.