WATCH: New platinum blondes Kim Kardashian and Oscar-winner Jared Leto turned heads at the Lanvin fashion show at Paris Fashion Week Thursday.
PARIS – Kim Kardashian made a fashion statement of her own at Balmain’s show Thursday, showing off newly platinum locks.
But the reality star wasn’t the only one proving her blond ambition at Paris Fashion Week in a rather unfortunate clash.
Actor Jared Leto turned up at the same show, debuting his new white-blond hair too.
But for the Academy Award winner, this dye-job wasn’t aimed at setting any trends — it was apparently for his new role as the Joker in the upcoming 2016 film, Suicide Squad.
Intentional or not, it’s bound to catch on.
Here are the highlights of Thursday’s ready-to-wear fall-winter 2015 shows, including reports for Balmain, Rick Owens, Lanvin and Carven.
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BALMAIN
Kim Kardashian caused a kerfuffle at Balmain’s show by stepping out in a new slicked back bleached blond hair style that boldly contrasted with the reality star’s dark eye makeup.
Once inside, Olivier Rousteing’s collection for the age-old Parisian house was equally bold in its colour contrasts.
It was a style that might be called: tribal meets ’80s.
Dazzling yellows in tight, thick belts, or in long flowing pleated skirts in silk contrasted with black bands to evoke glamorous danger.
The contrasting colours then went Modernist — in geometric square blocks — and morphed into multicolored, tight tribal bodices or a long lined Masai-inspired coat.
This Balmain woman, it seemed to say, is a force to be reckoned with.
There were plenty of looks that worked, like purple pleated ’80s pants twinned with a bright orange crossover jacket. Balmain is a strong choice for any woman, but is not for the feint-hearted.
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SO LATE, SOLANGE
Beyonce’s younger sister was immediately forgiven for her tardy entry into Carven’s show — rocking a wild, trendy weave with centre parting, a bold red faux fur coat, a geometric lined turtle neck and a daring split skirt.
Knowles’ eclectic personal style is already much admired in the French capital. In January, she was chosen as the new face of Elevenparis, for whom she’ll perform a DJ set Thursday night.
“DJing should be fun. But I’m here in Paris to take inspiration in the styles that are so different from New York,” she told The Associated Press, acknowledging she thought the Parisian style was more refined and natural that in her native U.S.
“Paris is different to New York, definitely. There’s a more defined and refined look here. I love the makeup. It’s so much more natural,” she added.
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CARVEN’S SAFE, FRESH NEW START
A highly saleable debut from new designers Adrien Caillaudaud and Alexis Martial greeted guests at Carven’s fall-winter 2015 show.
The chic 36-piece collection’s strongest point was its play of assorted Japanese flower motifs that riffed nicely on the setting: Paris’ beautiful Tuileries gardens.
The ’60s were the flavour of the day in clean silhouettes with A-line high-waisted minis and tight cropped high-waisted pants, while metallic gold disc necklaces added a dash of geometry.
It mainly played it safe, and that was no bad thing.
Colour-blocking ensured that on-trend touch, with one enviable look that twinned cobalt blue pants with a green-brown jacket and black collar fur trim.
But the latter half of the collection was where the designers made their statements.
In beautiful floral blues, a quilted coat, belt and mini-matching ankle boots conjured up the image of the Parisienne gamine and the great prints of the Japanese great master Hokusai.
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LANVIN’S SOPHISTICATED DRESSING UP BOX
For the talented Alber Elbaz, fall-winter’s mantra could be “more is more.” Lanvin’s Israeli-born designer mixed and matched contrasting styles and silhouettes in a feat of pure creative alchemy.
Leather knee-high boots with tassles filed by alongside truncated fedora hats, chic Zoro capes, floral embellishments, huge curtain-like tassles swinging from midriffs, billowing boho fur-trimmed coats and even loose, striped 19th century military pants.
While, torsos and jackets sometimes sported the square geometry of the very on-trend Eastern European Balkan styles.
The silhouettes were sometimes so layered, they had the feel of a young gamine raiding the dressing up box — albeit with incredibly chic results.
Only a master like Elbaz could have pulled it off.
Such was the panache, that when he came out to take his bow, even the steely U.S. Vogue Editor Anna Wintour laughed and cheered, alongside former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland on the front row.
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RICK OWENS PLAYS WITH DIMENSIONS
Rick Owens morphed shapes and contorted the silhouette in a highly creative show that demonstrated why he is still one to watch closely on the Paris fashion scene.
With strapped knee-high warrior boots, huge tubular Japanese sleeves, Asian hairstyles and his signature monochrome palette of dull grey, beige and dark navy — the added ingredient this season were the dimensions.
A band of circular material was wrapped vertically round one model’s body like an Escher-like doughnut flattening her torso in a trompe l’oeil style.
Another look in navy featured a model whose face was painted in gold leaf, with a brown geometric peplum that resembled a bum, and flaps at the back to look like the front.
And stiff, protruding pieces of material on one shoulder stood diagonally out like an elbow and almost looked as if the model’s hand was behind her head in a stylish pose.
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CULT MODEL BETTINA GRAZIANI DIES
France’s Culture Ministry has confirmed the death of cult French model Bettina Graziani, who died in Paris. She was 89.
The freckled, red-head Graziani had an illustrious career — a favourite with such houses as Givenchy, Chanel and Valentino.
At the height of her fame, in the early ’50s, she was dubbed by French magazine Paris Match “the most photographed woman in France” and was one of the highest paid models in the world.
The Culture Ministry says Graziani’s role in shaping French fashion was recognized in 2010 when she was named a “Commander in Arts and Letters.”
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