Paris Fashion Week: Gareth Pugh Shuns the Runway

Gareth Pugh likes to play with press people's heads. When writers and retailers filed in to the Bercy sports complex, they were greeted not with a catwalk but with a cinema--several rows of benches faced an IMAX screen of static.

This does re-open the debate about the relevancy of runway shows in this day and age; at times, the clothing contained within Pugh's presentation seemed secondary to the presentation itself, with the designer writing in his show notes: "I feel very strongly that Fashion Film should not be seen as a secondary medium to live catwalk events, but a modern alternative." A meta-critique on the staid, routine tradition of the catwalk, perhaps. He certainly had many showgoers convinced after screening his 11-minute film (which began, in true runway fashion, 30 minutes late), a hot-tempered, psychedelic stomp starring Kristen McMenamy and directed by Ruth Hogben. Few young designers have such a flair for cinematic movement as does Pugh--with every writhing movement, dance, and lurch of McMenamy's body, a new animated dimension of Pugh's clothing was revealed. He still has a hard edge, as evidenced by a structured vest with architectural details, the sci-fi nature of neoprene scales on tops and pants, and the armor-like strength of jackets cut high on the neck, but the film also explored a softer, almost dreamier side of his designs. Flowing kimono shapes gave way to his beloved, op-art kaleidoscope prints, and nylon was printed with aluminum to give a mirrored effect that was positively hypnotizing when animated onscreen. A series of wispy, silky gray dresses was decidedly pretty, bewitching and soft as McMenamy evaporated in a haze of smoke.

Runway show vs. fashion film aside, Hogben's movie was absolutely necessary to Pugh--his designs have a fluidity and animation best communicated in extreme motion and movement. The lookbook images circulated after the screening were enticing on their own, but McMenamy's shapes showed off the true transformative power of Pugh's clothing.

Photos: style.com. Video on SHOWstudio.com.