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Paris Fashion Week Kicks Off with a Bang, Amid Rumors of Musical Chairs at Top French Brands

Paris Fashion Week has officially begun, with L’Oréal’s giant outdoor show opening the nine-day extravaganza in style. The cosmetics giant persuaded a star-studded lineup, including Jane Fonda, Kendall Jenner, and Eva Longoria, to walk the runway in front of the iconic Opera Garnier. The show, titled "Walk Your Worth," aimed to democratize the glamour of fashion week by giving the public a glimpse into the world of high-end fashion.

The Paris shows got off to a stormy start, with rising French star Victor Weinsanto staging his spring-summer show on the wet and windy roof of the Pompidou Centre museum. The show featured fishnet and mesh ensembles created around Croatian drag queen Le Filip, which were tested by the elements.

The Paris shows are taking place against a backdrop of uncertainty in the fashion industry, with falling profits at luxury giants LVMH and Kering sending shockwaves through the sector. Rumors are swirling of a "Game of Thrones" among top designers, with Celine’s Hedi Slimane and Simon Porte Jacquemus being touted as potential successors to Karl Lagerfeld’s empty chair at Chanel.

The first shows from the big-hitter French houses will come Tuesday, with Dior and Saint Laurent taking center stage. The packed calendar confirms Paris’s dominance over rivals Milan, New York, and London. Chanel will close the final day on October 1, returning to the Grand Palais after a four-year absence.

The house is shelling out 30 million euros to stage its shows at the iconic Belle Epoque edifice, which reopened after a major facelift to host fencing and taekwondo at the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games. With Virginie Viard’s departure from Chanel, observers expect a collection drawn from Chanel classics. In contrast, Alessandro Michele, the mercurial Italian designer who transformed Gucci, may be keen to make his mark with his debut show for Valentino.

French duo Coperni will stage their show at Disneyland Paris on the final night, with an after-party in the theme park that promises to go on into the wee hours. The Olsen twins, the Los Angeles child actors turned designers, have kept their place for their luxury line The Row in fashion week proper thanks to a cash injection from the owners of Chanel and L’Oréal.

Givenchy will be absent from the lineup this time, with its new British designer Sarah Burton, a stalwart at Alexander McQueen for a quarter of a century, just taking the reins. With so much excitement and uncertainty surrounding the spring-summer shows, one thing is certain: Paris Fashion Week is going to be a wild ride.