Paris fashion defies a bruised luxury industry with J.Lo, golden glamour and skimpy outfits

PARIS (AP) — Saint Laurent sent out a river of gold, as giant chandeliers bathed a glossy black outdoor runway with golden light and the Eiffel Tower shimmered in the background. The extravagant show was attended by Catherine Deneuve, Kate Moss, Hailey Bieber and Rami Malek, while elsewhere at Paris Fashion Week Jennifer Lopez took her seat at Stella McCartney’s rain-soaked gardens. Rihanna turned out for the upstarts at the conceptual fashion house Matières Fécales, which translates as “fecal matter.” Whatever its financial troubles — and there are many — Paris retained its ability to assemble stellar front rows and impressive staging this season.

Midway through spring-summer 2027, shows crystallized into three stories: glamour on a grand scale; a great undressing; and an industry working couture technique into T-shirts and jeans while asking itself, nervously, who all of this is for. Full-on glamour at Saint Laurent despite luxury sector losing its crown Last month, cosmetics giant L’Oréal overtook LVMH as France’s most valuable listed company. It’s the first time since 2017 that a non-luxury company has topped the Paris bourse.

Saint Laurent’s parent Kering has returned to growth after a bruising downturn, but Balenciaga remains under pressure and Gucci is still struggling to reverse years of falling sales behind the runway gloss. At Saint Laurent on Tuesday night, gold was almost the whole story. Gold looked brittle, fluid, translucent or densely worked.

Safari jackets and trenches came in crinkled metallic cottons. Cocktail dresses featured glinting lace, cropped jackets in brocade. Stilettos stood on serpent-shaped heels.

Then came the black finale, led by Polish supermodel Anja Rubik — a reversal of Yves Saint Laurent’s all-gold closing sequence in 1991. Charlotte Gainsbourg stepped onto the runway to sing, adding an intimate finish to the monumental setting. Marking a decade at the house, designer Anthony Vaccarello dispensed with his customary interviews and let the collection carry the occasion.

Its retrospective mood invited speculation about a farewell, but the show contained no announcement of a departure. Chloé shows off textural details; peplum makes a comeback Two days later, Chloé approached excess through texture. Chemena Kamali piled broderie anglaise with lace, pearls and tassels, and sent out rainwear and long-brimmed fishermen’s hats i…