Balmain show sparkles, Ukraine designer evokes life at home

Balmain's pearls and crystals dazzled Paris Fashion Week Wednesday in its stylish ode to the '80's.

Balmain's pearls and crystals dazzled Paris Fashion Week Wednesday in its stylish ode to the '80's. Meanwhile, geopolitical activism met tuxedo jackets when one vocal Ukrainian designer put on a show paying homage to her country and team of over 20 people currently working in Kyiv.

Here are some highlights of Wednesday's fall-winter 2023-2024 ready-to-wear collections:

"From the war zone with peace," read the ticker outside Paris' Grand Rex cinema, a model of New York's Radio City Music Hall.

Inside, guests gathered in the Art Deco auditorium for a show by Ukrainian designer Lila Litkovska that continued with a radio theme.

Titled "On air," it was a metaphor for the unpredictable way life in Ukraine is unfolding by the minute. The soundtrack of the ready-to-wear show flicked between radio stations, in constant interruption. Litkovska's collection reflected this sense of haphazardness by mixing up styles in a generally loose and oversized display.

There were the more commercial looks, such as a black tuxedo coat worn over a floppy black slit skirt and sneakers, alongside more abstract plays in shape, like a black coat wrapped on the midriff with long sleeves to create an intentionally off-kilter silhouette.

Simple menswear suits were the nicest in what was ultimately a low-key show, with long sashes from the silken undergarments fluttering elegantly behind like a train.