Paco Rabanne Pre-Fall 2018...Fashionweekly...On Fow124news.com

To summarize his four years so far at Paco Rabanne, Julien Dossena gestured a plane soaring upward, followed by a steady line. If we accept that he’s reached cruising altitude, it’s clear that he is not flying on autopilot.....
On the contrary, Dossena seems to be coasting on the confidence that comes from knowing which types of women are buying in to the brand—from frontline fashion gals to creative execs—and how to renew their interest (and his, ostensibly) season after season. After giving them much in the way of nightclub-infused razzle-dazzle for Spring, he has returned to a more versatile range with Pre-Fall. Still, a noticeable artistic impulse projected from many of the looks, nicely picking up where his disco left off; black crepe de Chine appeared as though dredged through silver paint, for instance, while a color pairing of industrial orange and peach took on a sponged effect. While the studs tracing the distinctively arched hemlines seemed a little like Braille, Dossena assured they were for creative effect only. In any case, you get the sense the studio enjoyed experimenting beyond metal mesh.

But he didn’t sideline the signature shine so much as figure out how it can do double duty from night to day, whether seamlessly splicing it with gray jersey or reconceiving it as a no-fuss knit (indeed, one of the tops was constructed to resemble a twinset). Relatively speaking, a sweaterdress stamped with a diagonal silver stripe could be considered toned down, yet the collection was also well-represented by Dossena’s stylized take on suiting, in particular, the structured jersey looks with fold-over detailing in tonal blue. On the sportier side—and consistent with his ongoing exploration of athletic referencing—were minimalist separates embellished with outerwear accents. It’s safe to say his body-skimming silhouettes are close to perfection: unrestrictive and carefully contoured.

As for the intarsia portrait, it’s Françoise Hardy, a longtime Paco muse. The image comes from a vintage Japanese album cover, with the characters changed to spell out Paco Rabanne. Worn as shown with a metal mesh skirt and the reinterpreted cowboy boots, it’s an easygoing statement that still manages to pay homage to the house.