Scene setting: Creative director Glenn Martens is a whizz when it comes to historical references, and his collections have brought the world of bygone couture into the cool of the Zeitgeist. For S/S 2020, the designer took an underground excursion into the cool, cavernous arches beneath the Pont Alexandre III Bridge, a Beaux-Arts style design, festooned with nymphs and winged horses, designed by Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin between 1896 and 1900. ‘It was all about opulence and the Belle Époque,’ Martens said backstage. His show was accompanied by Johann Strauss’s The Blue Danube, which was distorted and fast-forwarded as if played on a malfunctioning tape machine, shrill, squeaky and barely audible. ‘It’s like 19th century Paris on acid’, he explained.
Mood board: Marten’s aesthetic acid trip was a fusion of genres and styles, that sublimely demonstrated his street-meets-couture sensibility. ‘I like a bit of flamboyance’ he added. For spring, this meant deconstructed sport knitwear, worn ruched, pulled and turned upside down, denim streaked with gold paint, seductive 30s gowns with cleavage revealing draping and oversized 80s tailoring. Medieval silhouettes, mini skirts and mind-bending Art deco prints, were all part of his on-acid opulence.
Finishing touches: XL accessories are all part of Y/Project’s aesthetic agenda. For spring, earrings were enormous and resembled heart-shaped springs, vintagey leather handbags were long like musical instrument cases and gold heels wrapped around the ankle like a Slinky.
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Japan in Milan! See the highlights of Japanese design at Milan Design Week 2025At Milan Design Week 2025 Japanese craftsmanship was a front runner with an array of projects in the spotlight. Here are some of our highlights
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Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
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‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuitElla Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
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Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
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Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
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Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2022: Louis Vuitton to Loewe, Dior to HermèsIn this extended report, Laura Hawkins reveals 9 highlights from Paris Fashion Week Men's A/W 2022. Including: Virgil Abloh's final collection for Louis Vuitton; Rick Owen's riff on sleaze; elfin-inspired accessories; and a celebration of slouch and surrealism
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Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
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Louis Vuitton A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Chanel A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women’s -
Y/Project A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's -
Sacai A/W 2020 Paris Fashion Week Women's
