Christian Lacroix on the runway
Christian Lacroix on the runway

PARIS, Mar 28, 2008 / FW/ — Christian Lacroix’s Fall 2008 collection might have demonstrated a toned-down exuberance for Arles as the couturier used more solids and color blocks instead of the lively floral prints, but the Paris-based designer has not forgotten his birthplace.

This summer, Christian Lacroix is the curator of the annual Arles photo show, where approximately 55,000 visitors attend yearly. Slated from Jul 8 to Sep 14, 2008, the event is properly known as “Rencontres de Photographie d’Arles”.

For this year’s event, Christian Lacroix will not only be involved behind the scenes; he will also exhibit some of his own Polaroid photos that he shot himself. Unknown to many, shooting with Polaroids is also an art form, as many professional photographers have experimented with the medium and turned it as artistic as it could be.

The couturier, who turns 56 this year, is not showing any signs of slowing down. His Fall 2008 collection, unveiled last February here in Paris might be toned-down in terms of print while its high energy comes from the designer’s allusion to his haute couture identity.

His monochrome cocktail dresses, the ‘bouillonés’ and the “choux” that feature elaborate draping and folding of fabric to evoke three-dimensional flowers exemplify the Lacroix’s enthusiasm in creating highly desirable and highly covetable silhouettes.

[FELICIA PRINCE]