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Why Paris Went Quiet This Season

Fashion week's mood has shifted from spectacle to tailoring. A dispatch from the front row.

Women's red coat

2 min read

There were no crashing runway stunts this year, no helicopters and no giant inflated handbags, only a very long sequence of perfectly cut grey wool.

The look

The look has less to do with what is new than with how it has been worn: sleeves pushed up, collars a bit lived-in, nothing ironed with much conviction. It suggests somebody who owns a few good things and has stopped worrying about them, which has always been the point of style.

The loudest thing at this show was a really well-made shoulder.

On the street

Resale has moved from niche to mainstream with startling speed. Second-hand clothing now accounts for a meaningful share of what younger shoppers buy, and many established labels have launched their own vintage programmes, a thing that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

How to wear it

Tailors and menders are busier than they have been in years. A good alteration costs a fraction of a new purchase and can transform a charity-shop jacket into something that seems custom-made. The modern luxury may simply be clothes that fit, repaired by someone who knows your name.

Start with what you already own, and add just a single thing this season: a heavy overcoat, a good pair of boots, or a scarf that is far too long. Wear it for a while before you judge it. Style, like most things, is largely a matter of repetition and nerve.

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