Paris, capital of fashion, and for good reason... Friday was not Fashion Week, but the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! The gigantic parade transformed the banks of the Seine into an open-air catwalk, trodden (or rather sailed) by a myriad of stars and athletes dressed in their finest finery. In an outpouring of luxurious fabrics, feathers, bangs, prints and embroidery, guess who was headlining? Dior, of course!
The spotlight was on the creations of Maison Dior, a member of the LVMH group and premium partner of the Paris 2024 Olympics. At the heart of a cabaret-style first tableau, Lady Gaga emerged from between the feathers dressed in a strapless black leotard and an imposing pink & black feather train. A performance in homage to choreographer Roland Petit and Zizi Jeanmaire, the performer of "Mon truc en plumes". Feathers, too, forAya Nakamura. The French singer appeared like a mythological figure, decked out in gold and high spartan shoes. And what better finale than Céline Dion, making a triumphant return in a glittering gown embellished with a multitude of pearls and over 500 meters of embroidered fringe?
Perched high in the Paris sky, her rendition of La Marseillaise moved the crowd. For this emblematic scene, mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel flaunted the national colors, dressed in an eight-meter-long tricolor peplum gown designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior.
Rapper Rim'K, meanwhile, sported a Louis Vuitton jacket, the House behind the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Torches & Medals Trunks, as well as the uniforms of some of the volunteers.
The colorful, graphic creations of Charles de Vilmorin, the young designer behind Galeries Lafayette's Christmas window displays last winter, brought the equilibrists to life, transforming the Seine into a veritable theater of style.
The show continued on a high podium, with flamboyant drag queens, led by the inimitable Piche. A catwalk-like show, highlighting the new generation of French designers. In turn, Farida Khelfa, muse and friend of Jean-Paul Gaultier, crossed the catwalk in an Alphonse Maitrepierre dress, followed by the queer creations of Victor Weinsanto, winner of the 2023 Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris, and Jeanne Friot. The designer is also behind the outfit worn by the Olympic Joan of Arc, who crossed the Seine on her mechanical horse.
For this historic moment, the French athletes paraded in ceremonial outfits designed by the House of Berluti.
Berluti signs French Olympic & Paralympic Team Opening Ceremony outfits
After Chaumet's hallmarked medals, and Louis Vuitton's designer trunks, Berluti signs the French Team's outfits for the Opening Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games. [Read more]
The Olympic Games have never been so fashionable!
Berluti signs French Olympic & Paralympic Team Opening Ceremony outfits
