European Zimmermann fans were served up a surprise delight earlier this week, as the brand brought its iconic runway to the French capital for the very first time.
Those of you who know your Paris Fashion Week brands were perhaps not shocked to see the likes of Miu Miu, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Stella McCartney showing in the city this season. The introduction of beloved Aussie label Zimmermann onto the official schedule, however - having moved on from its usual spot on the New York Fashion Week calendar - was undoubtedly a little more unexpected.
Taking to the gardens of the Petit Palais to showcase the brand's vision for spring/summer 2023, there was no doubt that Zimmermann was about to go all out for its Paris Fashion Week debut. And, sure enough, the editors, buyers, stylists and influencers in attendance were instantly besotted with the latest addition to proceedings.
“It still feels surreal that we have done our first show in Paris”, Nicky Zimmermann told British Glamour after the show.
“For us the timing felt right. With the pandemic we weren’t able to do physical shows, and whilst we had an incredible time working on the digital presentations it felt like this was a great opportunity for a refresh. Paris is also the home of our European headquarters, and we have a lot of things going on in Europe at the moment, so it was a logical step.”
Typically ethereal with perfectly-crafted lace and ruffled elements, Zimmermann elevated its own in-house staples for spring/summer 2023 via a series of beautiful, bold prints and a wonderfully optimistic colour palette.
There were also beautiful, forward-thinking takes on notably nostalgic references within the low-slung waists and corsetry detailing, lending a new dimension to the label known and loved for its contemporary whimsy.
“For many years I lived in Tamarama,” Nicky explained of her reference points. “It’s a really beautiful and popular surf spot in Sydney, but what’s less well known is that in the early 1900s it was the home to an amusement park called Wonderland City.”
“It had a rollercoaster that ran from one end of the beach to the other. It’s always intrigued me – it’s so wild to think of it like that today. It provided us with a fun and rich source of inspiration for our collection this season. We thought about the change to the beachscape and the lifestyle from then to now and bringing that to life.”
“We’ve taken Edwardian details from the era of the park and melded those with ideas of the modern Tama beach scene.”
“There’s the colour and motifs of the amusement park - the vibrancy of the fairground and the beach used in our art and palette, the rolling lines of the rollercoaster in hemlines and silhouettes. A collection that embodies a magical summer wonderland in Sydney, with a bit of the old and a lot of the new.”
It certainly felt magical, as models drifted past the front row of this circular runway which saw guests facing inward towards a garden that felt utterly enchanted; gentle bursts of early-October breeze tumbling through the space, catching flailing frills and bringing a new sense of life to silhouettes.
Confirming what we had hoped all along, Zimmermann's Paris Fashion Week debut proved that the Australian brand's dream-like aesthetic is by no means reserved solely for the sun-drenched beaches of Sydney.
In fact, we'd argue - without any bias, of course - that the brand's European visit should perhaps have been indefinite. We'd certainly love to see them back on the Paris schedule next season.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
