Lupita, Rita, and Drag Race stars get lit for the Fall 2015 couture shows in Paris

By Fusion Staff | July 7, 2015 | 9:41pm

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Paris — the city of lights — is positively lit this week with the chic influx of A-list celebrities, models, and editors in town for the Fall 2015 couture season. Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Campbell, RuPaul Drag Race stars, along with a mötley crüe of attendees, have shown up to take in the exquisite craftsmanship of these rare gowns and of course the parties. Hence Violet Chachki and Miss Fame rolling up to the Miu Miu Club fragrance launch on Sunday looking like this:

With their waists cinched within near inches of their lives, Paris was simply burning. The collections, of course, were just as searing.

VERSACE, VERSACE, VERSACE

When the Italian luxury label “Versace” comes to mind, an image of a glamazon — most likely Naomi Campbell — immediately follows. Sexy, flashy, and simply unapologetic about it. But storming down Versace’s Fall 2015 couture runway this week was Stevie Nicks…or Stevie Nick’s fairy goddess supermodel proxy.

In flowing, sensuous gowns and patent leather platform boots, Joan Smalls, Kendall Jenner, and our girl Lineisy Montero had morphed into ethereal woodland creatures with enormous wardrobe budgets.

And Karlie Kloss walked as well. In pale pinks, blues, and greens, the collection didn’t seem really bound for a cold, dark Fall, but maybe a balmy, verdant Joshua Tree. Of course, the corsetry was all Versace all day long, but there was something super stoner chic that was such a departure from their logo-emblazoned past — maybe it had something to do with those flower crowns?

Naomi Campbell looked into it, though. Perched front row, rather than sauntering down the runway, she sat next to Irina Shayk in a serious white business suit that reminded us of the power plays Rihanna made in hers in the “BBHMM” video.

DIOR

I was patiently waiting to see the new face of Dior, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, taking a spot front row at yesterday’s couture show, disrupting the genteelity of the occasion just as she did their Pre-Fall collection a few weeks ago. But alas, no such luck.

https://twitter.com/Jennifer0693/status/618096614666805248

Lupita Nyong’o and Emily Blunt, however, made chic and demure appearances that almost made up for RiRi’s absence.

In a red ice skater frock, simple black pumps, and her growing afro pushed off her gorgeous mug, Lupita seemed taken with the elegant showing.

I was taken with Grimes‘ all sequined shorts ensemble. The Canadian songbird’s outfit just seemed to capture the disruptive IDGAF spirit that Raf has been infusing into the brand during his tenure with this legendary brand.

As for the collection itself, it really boiled down to those swinging coats the designer sent down the runway and the frothy dresses that our girl Lineisy Montero (she’s killing couture!) was seen modeling. With no clasps to speak of, models held onto their finely tailored lapels and essentially wafted down the purple runway in billows of taffeta.

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

When four black models come traipsing down your couture runway, consider us sold. When two of them are Teen Vogue August cover girls Lineisy Montero and Aya Jones, consider us believers. When one of them (Karly Loyce) is rocking her leaping afro in full force, just consider us done.

Yes, the very man who brought us Rihanna’s quinceañara chic gown from this year’s Grammys red carpet brought us a tremendous display of diversity on the runway yesterday, the couturier showcasing a small crew of black models amongst a collection full of tremendous volume and detailing.

Can’t you just see Rihanna dominating in these tremendous ball gowns or quickly sashaying past the competition in the above befeathered trousers?

CHANEL

Chanel loves devising a world all unto itself. If it’s located inside a grocery store or a café or most recently, a casino, the Chanel brand is self-contained. It doesn’t need much else than a Kendall Jenner, a rotating cast of A-list superstar guests, and deft sense of branding to populate its universe.

Hence, the blackjack gambling room that Karl Lagerfeld constructed his front row into for today’s show.

With Lily Rose Depp, the gorgeous offspring of Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp, portraying the underage but no less stunning card dealer, a seemingly rousing game of blackjack between Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart set off the show.

Somehow Rita Ora made an appearance opposite these Still Alice co-stars, she portraying a fierce Chanel-clad card game competitor, her presence on the live-action front row only adding to a laundry list of accolades she’s gained without anyone exactly knowing why.

The collection itself was a royal play on Chanel’s roots, with the boxed tweed suit cut and reformed for a new daring woman who has a penchant for asymmetrical bobs and oversized blazers.

Kendall Jenner closed the show as a pants-clad bride — a style I loved for the modern woman’s nuptials and perhaps was a subtle nod to the recent marriage equality ruling brought down from the Supreme Court a week ago. #lovewins

The play on the Chanel casino hardly stopped at the runway: Guests — including a suited Florence Welch (whose new album gives me chills), a real life Thai princess (!!!) in the form of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, and the effortlessly chill ways of Chanel muses Lou Douillon (Jane Birkin’s daughter) and Caroline de Maigret — were photographed alongside a make-shift café, allowing them to play along in this Chanel-emblazoned world they were invited into.

Marjon Carlos is a style and culture writer for Fusion who boasts a strong turtleneck game and opinions on the subjects of fashion, gender, race, pop culture, and men’s footwear.