” he grinned backstage, following a collection that reprised the party spirit of that era and paid direct homage to the namesake founder of the brand he has inherited... What Dossena has been doing ever since he was appointed creative director of Paco Rabanne is to invigorate its iconic heritage, exploring it through the lens of modernity – and today that approach was executed with more finesse than ever.
There were plenty of the shimmering dresses that have quickly become his staple – the bias-cut, fluid eveningwear that has been worn recently by everyone from Adwoa Aboah to Emily Ratajkowski – but there was also the introduction of drapery, which paid tribute to Rabanne’s original designs while appearing remarkably contemporary. “I was searching for a modern way to work on jersey,” he explained, “so I made it openable, punctuated by metal rivets that are also push-studs… but it’s really coming from all those jersey dresses Grace Jones would wear, or Michelle Pfeiffer.” Ripped open to the thigh and paired with flat, knee-high boots, they felt fresh and relevant rather than just resuscitation of old mood-board favourites.
Then, there were the “clubkid” T-shirts created in collaboration with Peter Savile; the little dresses and form-fitting shirts which presented “evening, but in a less formal way – something you can grab and take for the day;” satin hotpants of the Boogie Nights variety; swishy skater dresses and paisley-printed shimmer. It was sporty and glamorous and spoke to what people want to wear today. As Dossena said, “I want to make clothes that are fun and light, for enjoyment and going out.”
What Rabanne was renowned for in his heyday was his approach to partywear – the chainmail and sequinned microdresses popularized by the likes of Francoise Hardy and Jane Birkin – and back then, those fabrications were radical. Today, particularly during a season where glitter and sparkle seems to be on every designer’s moodboard, they were far from that – but there is something about the way that Dossena acknowledges his forefather that is. It is rare to see a young designer pay such clever tribute to the house they have inherited, rather than scrap it entirely or simply plunder the archives. But Dossena is proving that, through carefully exploring the signature and spirit of fashion history, you can create something new in its wake. This was a collection that might have taken its cues from 1970, but it was certainly made for spring/summer 2018.
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