Schiaparelli’s RTW Debut, Alexander McQueen’s Return Set for … – WWD

PARIS — Having just put men’s and couture to bed, Paris is gearing up for a fizzing fall 2023 women’s session that will see the arrival of Schiaparelli, Y/Project’s postponed show, the debut of Harris Reed at Nina Ricci and the return of Alexander McQueen, according to the provisional schedule released by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.  

Set to run Feb. 27 to March 7, Paris Fashion Week will offer 67 shows and 40 presentations, with their digital counterparts broadcast on the federation’s website.

Kicking off the nine-day schedule are the 2023 MA students of the Institut Français de la Mode, who will open the fall 2023 season at 4 p.m. with their graduate collections.

Storied couture house Schiaparelli will be making its runway debut on March 2 at 7 p.m. with the ready-to-wear designs of Daniel Roseberry. The line had been shown as presentations in its Place Vendôme headquarters.

American British designer Reed will make his runway debut as creative director of Nina Ricci on March 3 at 4 p.m., having promised a “magnified femininity” and teasing that direction with an black velvet off-the-shoulder gown worn by Adele for a concert in Las Vegas last December.

Y/Project, initially slated to show on Jan. 18 during the men’s schedule, will be showing Glenn Martens’ latest designs on the final day, with a 3:30 p.m. show on March 7.

Making their Parisian returns after a three-year absence are Alexander McQueen, which put on several runway shows in New York and London since the pandemic, and Paco Rabanne, who had shown its spring 2023 collection at the tail end of July’s couture week. The latter will show on March 1 at 5.30 p.m., while the Kering-owned McQueen will take the 6.30 p.m. slot on March 4.

Latex specialist Arthur Avellano, who has designed liquid-looking outfits for the likes of Kim Kardashian and Julia Fox, will be joining the 106 houses on the official Paris calendar for fall 2023. Swapping Milan for a Paris runway are Peter Dundas’ label and Palm Angels, which had recently unveiled an ambitious strategy that included extending its womenswear category.

As for the house of Pierre Cardin, now led creatively by Cardin’s great-nephew Rodrigo Basilicati-Cardin, it’s allotted spot is March 5 at 6:30 p.m.

The fall 2023 session will also see four labels put on their first on-schedule presentations.

Among them are Irish designer Róisín Pierce, a finalist of the 2022 LVMH Prize and winner at the 2019 Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories.

A graduate of Dublin’s National College of Art and Design textile design program, Pierce has been working a zero-waste wardrobe, using ruching techniques inspired by local craftsmanship and “letting the fabric manipulation guide [her],” she told WWD during the fashion competition. Her all-white palette is a nod to Irish women’s histories.

An alum of The Row, Loewe, and Alighieri, designer Niccolò Pasqualetti will show on Feb. 27. Their androgynous designs supported by a sustainable and artisanal approach netted them a spot in last year’s LVMH Prize semifinals and the attention of retailers like Ssense, Machine-A, The Broken Arm and Dover Street Market Ginza.

They’ll be joined on the presentations calendar by another former semifinalist, London-based Chinese designer Chen Peng, who won the inaugural Yu Prize and at their March 4 show will extend the unisex universe most recently seen in a capsule with e-tailer 24s. British designer Margaret Howell, who built her reputation on sleek and sophisticated wares that telegraph ease and quiet luxury, will be crossing the Channel to show in Paris on March 5.

The final version of the calendar will be released the week of Feb. 6, according to the French fashion federation.