Paris Fashion Week continues to draw stars in riot-hit France
Naomi Clarke, PA Entertainment Reporter
Fashion houses have continued to host their haute couture runway shows at Paris Fashion Week despite days of riots across France.
The luxurious events have seen stars including US rapper Cardi B, US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and British actress Jenna Coleman in attendance.
However, the extravagance in the country’s capital has been questioned amid a backdrop of civil unrest sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old last Tuesday, with public buildings, cars and municipal rubbish bins being targeted by fires and vandalism.
The protests were driven by a backlash against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them.
Riots have affected several areas of the country, including the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teenager – identified only by his first name, Nahel – was killed.
Despite the unrest, French fashion houses including Chanel and Dior have moved forward with showcasing their autumn/winter collections.
On Monday, Dior hosted a show at the Musee Rodin in Paris, a grand 18th-century mansion that displays Auguste Rodin’s work, most notably the famous sculpture The Thinker.
Celebrity guests on the front row included The Crown actor Elizabeth Debicki, house ambassador Natalie Portman and actress Rosamund Pike.
Cardi B was also pictured at the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show the same day, wearing a black corseted gown with gold trim and buttons, with a cropped fluffy black jacket from the Italian fashion house.
The Chanel show on Tuesday also boasted elegant style and a host of famous faces including film director Baz Luhrmann.
Coleman was spotted matching the Parisian cobblestones – which appeared to have been painted shades of pale pink and purple – with her pastel pink striped sweater, skirt and quilted handbag.
Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin, who starred in The Vampire Diaries and Babylon, also sat on the front row in a black waistcoat and beaded flares.
