AP – Veilhan said he wanted to “evoke the relationship to animals which is constantly evolving in our societies”.
Guests watched on as a gargantuan camel, bull, fish, horse and lion resembling blown-up mobiles were wheeled onto this strange runway, beneath a ceiling installation of large geometric discs.
The rest of the collection seemed less directly connected to the animal theme – and this level of subtlety was not a bad thing. Coat dresses and bouclé tunics in tweed featured animal twists – such as embroideries of pet dog Labradors and Scotch Terriers. Elsewhere, there were strong equestrian styles, building on ideas from previous Viard seasons. Here, the riding jacket was key, constructed in gleaming silken tweeds above gamine miniskirts and youthful skorts. There were quirks galore in the long white gloves, black and white bow ties and skintight gold- or black-capped boots with white boxer-like lace ups – yet they sometimes felt out of place.
The strength of this otherwise superlative and poetical couture – which sparkled throughout with brocade, paillettes, sequins and gleaming silks – spoke for itself.
One loose amorphous gown glistened like a silver fish with its thousands of embroidered sequins and black, white and gold silken breast. Elsewhere, a thickly textured bell skirt was constructed using rippling layers of white-coloured silk like a underwater shell, or perhaps a delicate stratus cloud.
