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• February 27, 2008
• Runway and Shows

French Connection

Part one of our Paris Fashion Week hot list.

It's no longer just the masters making Paris the most anticipated RTW collections of the season. Alongside Galliano and Rykiel, a younger crop of designers are also holding court, turning out looks and trends that are turning just as many heads. If Monday night's Jeremy Scott spectacle at the Palais de Tokyo wasn't the picture of youth itself (muse Cory Kennedy sat front row, of course), then we don't know what is. And with the upcoming Jérôme Dreyfuss and April 77 store openings drawing just as much buzz as Givenchy, it seems there's room for everybody (except perhaps not inside the Balenciaga party at Le Baron). Here are the highlights of Paris Fashion Week so far.

Devastee—Macabre Comic Genius
There are two talents behind the label Devastee, Ophelie Klere and Francois Alary, who showed for the second time in Paris this week. Since its inception, the label has been afforded something of a cult status for fashion folk. When asked to describe how the label came to be, Alary says, "We met during high school, about ten years ago. At this time, we were not at all interested in fashion…but we were interested in cemeteries." And that's how the self-described "macabre comic genius" was born. The confetti-covered runway matched the models' confetti-covered hair, and the palette of red, white, black, and gray had an almost schoolgirl uniform feel. The real spark of the show was the outerwear, specifically a hooded coat that was layered to look almost as if it was two separate pieces layered one atop the other. And let's not forget about the invitations, which featured the delightfully eerie illustrations the label has become known for. (Saturday, February 23)

Bruno Pieters—On the Cuff
Harlequin neck-cuffs, soft and feminine men's suiting, and more of those two-layer coats we spotted at Devastee were just a few of the pieces on offer at Bruno Pieters. Seats were more valuable than a Bottega bag at the tiny Marais venue, which was packed to the gills with craning necks trying to get a good view of the clothes and maybe also of fellow-Belgian beauty Anouck Lepere, a close friend of the 29-year old designer. We loved the shots of pewter, waking up the discreet, almost somber mix of grays, blacks, and neutrals. (Sunday, February 24)