If there was one thing that could always be relied upon at Paris Fashion Week, it was that Emmanuelle Alt, the lithesome editrice of French Vogue, would be wearing skinny trousers. Those trousers might be black or white, denim or leather, but they would be skinny and she would look fabulous in them.
But oh, the shifting sands of fashion. Suddenly — without any warning that would allow the myriad Alt-watchers gently to recalibrate — she has been spotted in flares. Aside from the front-row tantrums of North West (and quite frankly who can blame little Northie on that one: why can’t she be allowed to stay at home and watch Frozen like other toddlers?), this is about as shocking as things get catwalk-side.
The fashion world has been left spinning. And shopping, of course, for flares. Alt adoption is the ultimate sign that wide legs (of the tailored variety only) are indeed Having A Moment, a fact oft-reported recently but, until now, difficult to believe. If French Vogue’s finest, the ultimate trend-shifter, is flirting with them, it is only a matter of time before the rest of us do.
One long-term flares fan is Jo Elvin, editor of Glamour and another fixture on the front row. “It might be because when I was a kid the sophisticated ladies on TV were Charlie’s Angels,” she laughs. “Farrah Fawcett in a pair of really crisp flares and a blazer — I love that look.”
The secret to successful 21st-century flare-wearing is indeed to channel Madame Fawcett. Think ball-busting crime-fighter with a penchant for tailoring, not drippy Woodstock attendee in cheesecloth and a limp hat. Emmanuelle Alt might wear her flares with a sleek long-line Chanel tweed coat, par exemple. Not, admittedly, an option that is open to many of us, but you get the drift. Points number two and three in the rulebook of flare-wearing are: don’t go there if you aren’t tall and, even if you are, avoid a cut that is too wide, again for Woodstock-related reasons.
Advertisement
Elvin’s favourite denim flares are MiH’s Marrakesh (from £154), Donna Ida’s Adelaide (£185) and “anything from Topshop” (the Jamie is £40). Topshop also has some good trouser options in a range of colours (black with a low-key flare costs £25) and — if the Topshop Unique autumn-winter 2015 catwalk collection was anything to go by — are backing them in a big way next season too.
Personally I think non-denim is the way for the flare-cautious among us to proceed initially. Stella McCartney — always a great label for tailored trousers in all cuts — currently has some appealing flared options in navy and palest yellow (£445).
Another word of caution from Jo Elvin, though. “I had these really wide-legged trousers with a cuff and I wore a pointy heel rather than my usual wedge because I had a smart lunch. On the way back from said lunch I got the heel stuck in the cuff and fell over chin first on to the pavement. There was blood. Three men ran over to help me and I was so embarrassed.”
So that’s two more additions to the rulebook. Wedge heels only, and beware the cuff.
Please look after this bag
“Why carry a bag when you can carry a box-bag?” seems to be what many fashion folk have decided this season. There is something strangely appealing about a diminutive — and I mean diminutive — suitcase, perhaps because it is suggestive of Voyaging Out, of Going Places. (Although given the dolly dimensions of these valises you’d have to be happy to travel with a change of knickers and a toothbrush only.)
Advertisement
Certainly lots of show-goers have been channelling Paddington Bear in their accessory choice. In Paris the favourite has been Louis Vuitton’s Petite Malle, launched when Nicolas Ghesquière took over the brand last March (from £2,140). In New York it was Mark Cross’s beautifully bright iterations (from £1,285, matchesfashion.com); in Milan Dolce & Gabbana’s richly ornamented Dolce bag (from £1,200).
In London it was Aspinal’s more affordable Trunk clutch (from £325), available from April in black, coral and tan and from September in a buy-me bright chequered version. All these bags come with a cross-body strap — detachable — which is another reason to love them. Still no sighting of a “Please look after this fashionista” label. Yet.
My wonky cup runneth over
On every fashion editor’s Paris to-do list is a trip to the charming shop Astier de Villatte, which sells wonderfully wonky pieces of handmade china, all of it with a slight Louis XV-gone-wrong feel. Roger Vivier muse Inès de la Fressange says that “drinking your breakfast brew in one of their cups is a life changer.” In the UK you can buy Astier de Villatte — and much else that’s beautiful besides — at the small London treasure trove Ben Pentreath, where that life-changing cup costs £70 (pentreath-hall.com).