Fashion and Film Merge as Paris Shows its Opulent Side

Chanel's show took place alongside the River Seine. Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
Chanel's show took place alongside the River Seine. Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
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Fashion and Film Merge as Paris Shows its Opulent Side

Chanel's show took place alongside the River Seine. Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
Chanel's show took place alongside the River Seine. Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

From an absurdly opulent film shoot at the Opera Garnier to a Chanel catwalk along the Seine, fashion week offered a very different view of Paris on Tuesday from the riots of recent days.

The country is still licking its wounds and facing up to the deep societal divisions exposed by days of violence sparked a week ago by the police killing of a teenager, said AFP.

The riots have died down since the weekend, and it was the other France -- of unbridled luxury, craftsmanship and conspicuous excess -- that took center-stage on the second day of haute couture week.

Chanel's models paraded alongside the River Seine with the Eiffel Tower in the background, some with little dogs or baskets of flowers, in a show of "sophistication and simplicity," said designer Virginie Viard.

She mixed tweeds, silk muslins, organzas and encrusted lace with floral and graphic motifs. A few bright colors, including Barbie pink, stood out against a largely grey palette.
Over at the Opera Garnier, the 19th-century monument to late-imperial excess, couturier Stephane Rolland put on a fabulously opulent show that was also being filmed by veteran filmmaker Claude Lelouch for his next movie, "Finalement".
There was a strapless velvet dress with a glittering diamond hood, an elaborate headpiece that looked like a mass of gold flames, and a long red satin dress with a bejewelled collar.

The show was an homage to Greek singer Maria Callas, whose voice was heard through the show, aimed at reliving one of her most legendary performances at the Opera Garnier in December 1958.

Rolland is known for bright colors, such as the bright-yellow dress in which he put singer Pretty Yende for the coronation of King Charles III recently.

But he said "in the heart of the Palais Garnier, I didn't want to disturb the scenery with pinks, yellows and greens" and stuck mostly to black, white and a few flashes of deep red.
Actors mingled with the guests for the upcoming movie from Lelouch, best-known for his Oscar-winning 1966 film "A Man and a Woman".

The director's request to film during the show was "like a gift from heaven," Rolland told AFP, adding that it was vital to merge fashion and other art forms.

"It's very important in our profession. I find that from time to time it lacks a bit of refinement. Money is not everything," he said.
Also showing on Tuesday was French designer Alexis Mabille, who created a female take on the tuxedo.

And there was another luxurious display from Giorgio Armani, all sumptuous ballgowns adorned with many variations on poppies and roses.

Red was a dominant color for the Italian -- even for the wedding dress at the end.



Adidas Holds Back on Profit Upgrade Due to Tariff Uncertainty 

The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Adidas Holds Back on Profit Upgrade Due to Tariff Uncertainty 

The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of Adidas is seen on a Gazelle sneaker for sale at a shop in Berlin, Germany, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)

German sportswear maker Adidas on Tuesday said higher US import tariffs and broader uncertainty around trade were clouding its forecasts and making it difficult to plan.

CEO Bjorn Gulden said the company would have hiked its revenue and profit guidance for 2025 after strong first-quarter results, but tariff uncertainty meant it decided to hold back.

Adidas expects the blanket increase in US tariffs to eventually cause price increases across all its products, but said it was currently impossible to quantify those or to establish the likely impact on US consumer demand, highlighting the paralysis caused by trade uncertainty.

Adidas has already reduced exports of China-made goods to the US to a minimum but is still "somewhat exposed" to much higher US tariffs on Chinese goods, Gulden said, though it is unclear how long those might remain at the current level.

"Given the uncertainty around the negotiations between the US and the different exporting countries, we do not know what the final tariffs will be. Therefore, we cannot make any 'final' decisions on what to do," Gulden said.

Unexpectedly high US tariffs on Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, announced at the start of this month, but paused until July, blindsided sportswear brands, which make most of their sneakers and clothing there.

As tariffs raise the cost of doing business, Adidas said it would strive to ensure US retail partners and consumers get product "at the best possible price", adding it would try to compensate for uncertainty in the US by boosting its performance in the rest of the world.

First-quarter sales rose 14% in Europe and 13% in Greater China and were up 26% in Latin America. Sales in North America increased just 3%, which Adidas said was due to the phase-out of its Yeezy sneaker line.

While sticking to its full-year guidance, Adidas said uncertainties "could put negative pressure on this later in the year".