Paris Fashion Week officially kicked off in the fashion capital of the world, running from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. As fashion month’s last leg of the spring ’24 season, PFW put forth major runway shows from fashion’s heavy hitters — think Dior, Saint Laurent, Chanel, Louis Vuitton.
But the week also provided something of a global meeting point for various emerging and regional brands to bring their visions to market on a wider platform. Each season, brands and designers in every category, from footwear, jewelry and accessories to ready-to-wear labels of various markets and specializations come to Paris to network and sell, and more buyers from around the world head to the City of Light than anywhere else on the fashion circuit.
This season, a few New York Fashion Week regulars jumped the pond to show this week, namely Peter Do and Christian Cowan. Do — who presented his vision for Helmut Lang back at NYFW — brought his namesake brand to Paris on Sept. 26, with sponsorship from Banana Republic. Cowan, meanwhile, staged an evening extravaganza on Sept. 28 that featured a performance by Sam Smith.
Here, a rundown of the most salient footwear — and footwear and fashion moments happening on the runways and throughout the various presentations, events and moments of Paris Fashion Week’s spring ’24 season.
Larroudé Celebrates Fall ’23 Campaign and Launch in Europe With Dinner at Ralph’s Paris
Co-founders Marina and Ricardo Larroudé took over Ralph’s Paris on Boulevard Saint-Germain to throw a dinner celebrating Larroudé’s fall ’23 campaign and to kick off the brand’s entry into the European market come November.
Among the guests at the soiree were Brandon Maxwell, Jason Bolden, Jessica Paster, Brooks Nader, Christina Najjar, Pete Nordstrom, Derek Lam, Gigi Burris and Nadine Leopold.
Nomasei Opens a Paris Pop-Up
Cofounders Paule Tenaillon and Marine Braquet are taking their slow fashion, Made in Italy footwear brand to the Marais. Open now through the end of the year, the boutique is full of their walkable but still cool heels.
Tenaillon and Braquet kicked off the pop-up with their spring ’24 presentation, which included more of the brand’s bestselling Taxi sandals, plus a new platform done in black patent leather with mini straps and buckles for a power statement that’s still comfortable.
Nalebe Takes Heels Down — But Keeps Things Colorful
Nigerian-born, U.S.-based designer Amina Means made her debut at Paris Fashion Week with a vibrant spring ’24 collection that included updates to her signature Dimante pumps and bejeweled Aurum mules. Both styles were done in lower heels, more muted styles were also added to the collection, including a mule done in denim and crystals or colorful mesh. “The collection is evolving, but I want to stay true to my brand DNA,” said Means of the shift in silhouettes. “I never want to take away from the core of the collection, which is my culture.”
Pierre Hardy Taps Into the ’90s Supermodel Trend – With Heels
The shoe designer is never one to work with unnecessary bells and whistles on his footwear, but for spring ’24 Hardy went even more minimal with a series of essential slingbacks in matte leather colors. They’re all named after ’90s supermodels — Linda, Stella and Amber — and feature kitten heels, mini wedges and stacked heels. “It’s all very sleek and pure and clean,” said the designer. Hardy also introduced straw bags to the collection this season, adding his signature leather closure design to the front for a city-meets-beach look.
Charles Jourdan Revives a Hot-Rod Heel
The heritage footwear brand continues to work on its relaunch, this time tapping Nicholas Kirkwood alum Charlotte Tabouriech as a consultant. For spring ’24, the designer focused on an archival mule from the ‘60s with an inverted heel and hod-rod chrome-like accent. Updating the shoe for modern wear meant widening the heel a touch for more stability and taking down the metal accents — but keeping all the curves.
Loewe Brings the Footbed to a Heel
The Spanish heritage brand has drawn plenty of attention in recent years and seasons for its surrealist (and gimmicky) footwear. But for spring ’24, creative director JW Anderson just might be onto something truly groundbreaking in shoes. Among the high-waisted trousers and granny cardigans, the designer showed a series of leather sandals featuring wood stacked and curved heels. What sets the heel apart is a molded footbed. It could be a new era for heels.
Acne Studios Goes Long on the Toes
Mini skirts, cropped denim jackets, low-slung denim and cutout gowns in jewel tones were among the garments that walked the runway at the Acne Studios spring ’24 show. On foot were pointed toe pumps exclusively, done with exaggerated toes and a sweetheart toe cleavage. Some of the pumps even matched a series of madras printed dresses for a real head-to-toe look.
Cecilie Bahnsen Carries On With Asics Collaboration
The Copenhagen designer experimented with more denim again for her spring ’24 collection, and she also played with more upcycled materials for the lineup’s footwear, which once again included an Asics collaboration, as well as her own footwear, which were designed in house featuring heavy soles — all of which were meant to ground her signature ethereal, floaty garments.
Emerging Designer Caroline Hu Gets a Samba Boost
The Adidas Samba has already seen plenty of collaborations this year, but it saw a much softer turn at the Rêverie by Caroline Hu presentation on Wednesday in Paris, where it was unexpectedly matched with yards of tulle and even a few pillows poking out of the voluminous ensembles shown. While the Samba pairing is not an official collaboration, Hu received sponsorship from the brand, she told WWD.
Christian Dior Brings Witch Shoes and Goth Ballerinas to the Runway
At the brand’s gigantic spring ’24 runway show, Maria Grazia Chiuri put a little more goth punk into her vision, with black patent leather flats outfitted with lots of pearl-accented straps for a witchy look. The strappy flats wore well with coats decked out in Dior’s signature map prints, done in a spooky treatment. Also on foot were soft ballet flats wrapped in frayed grosgrain for an equally goth girl look.
Saint Laurent Turns to Daywear — But the Heels Stay Sharp
A glittering Eiffel Tower may have remained the Paris postcard backdrop for the show, but at Saint Laurent spring ’24 took a decided turn to daywear, in lieu of the usual noir looks. Drawing inspiration from Amelia Earhart, Adrienne Bolland and other “pioneering” women of traditionally male domains in aviation and car racing, creative director Anthony Vaccarello infused a good deal of menswear influences into the collection. That included flight suits and safari jackets, in softer cottons and linens (no latex here).
The shift to daytime texture did not compromise Vaccarello’s seemingly unwavering push for a high-heeled pump. The lineup included glossy slingbacks with just a sliver more of a heel — instead of a razor sharp stiletto, the heels were slightly fluted. Some also feature tortoise hardware instead of sharper metal. The slingbacks were paired with supple suede gloves that were exceedingly more than the usual car driver’s — but that’s fashion for you.
Ivana Helsinki Returns to Paris With Seychelles Footwear
Ivana Helsinki celebrated its 25th anniversary at Paris Fashion Week with its own show on Sept. 25. The last time the brand presented as part of the event was in 2018. “Returning to Paris seemed self-evident, when I was thinking about the anniversary screening location. Over the years, we have organized numerous shows in New York, Copenhagen, and Tokyo, but Paris was the first, international breakthrough place for us. I have a lot of nostalgic and dear memories associated with the city”, Paola Suhonen, the artistic director of Ivana Helsinki, said in a statement. The show took place on four different floors of the building, with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo responsible for the live music during the show. As Ivana Helsinki commits to 100% veganism, the brand tapped Seychelles Footwear’s vegan collection for models to wear on stage.
