Pierre Cardin returns to Paris Fashion Week with space age lineup

A model presents a creation of Pierre Cardin Fall-Winter 2023/2024 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, Mar 5, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

French label Pierre Cardin returned to the official Paris fashion week schedule for the first time in decades, sending out a colourful, off-beat lineup of styles that recalled its space-age heyday.

Models paraded two-toned suit jackets with triangular-shaped lapels, asymmetrical dresses and capes, shimmery gold trousers and thin ties that formed an arrow-like shape at the tip.

Attendants flashed spotlights on models as they made their way down the temporary runway, set up in the label's empty flagship store that is undergoing renovations.

Spinning holograms were projected in the windows of the store — located across the street from France's Elysee Palace — and one model carried the three-dimensional projection in a handbag.

The late designer's great nephew, Rodrigo Basilicati Cardin, who took the reins of the label following Cardin's death in 2020, said he worked with the design studio to pare back the looks, which were made from recycled materials as well as fabric that sat in storage for decades.

Seeking to spark interest in the label among younger crowds, Basilicati Cardin said he set up competitions to bring on talent from other countries, like Mexico and South Korea, for stints at the label.

"My goal is to manage the label and bring it on track," he said, speaking to journalists after the show as he greeted guests including French singer Mireille Mathieu.