PARIS, Jan 23, 2008 /FR/--- Among the fashion houses showing in Paris at Couture, there are various kinds of designers, various kinds of business models too among the made-to-measure fashion discipline which is supposed to display to the customers, fashion editors and the press, what the best craftsmen are producing with an ancestral know-how, magnified by the vision of a designer for our time.

For some seasons now, Georges Chakra, showing in the “off” calendar section of Paris Haute Couture Week, has first surprised when he arrived in the City of Lights, he has also, gradually, learnt many things on the Parisian catwalks and -it can be believed- also in his collections. The “Paris test” has this effect on many a designer. They might first come here to get more exposure, worldwide attention and customers, they often evolve in their design standards on their way back to Paris each season, and Georges Chakra has just been doing this for the past years, especially with his two previous couture collections which were undeniably showing more innovations in the mixing of new materials with more traditional techniques, more evolutions on the proportions for the silhouette, trying to renew an ageing couture clientele.

What happened to the Lebanese designer this season? Although his collection is still showing much more knowledge of his craft and creative talent than his Middle-Eastern competitors showing in the “off” calendar (Robert Abi Nader, Zuhair Murad, Yahya…), his proposals for the season on the catwalk of Palais de Tokyo very much looked like he was moving backwards.

Using only very traditional materials (organza, muslin, ostrich feathers, silk satins among other exclusive fabrics), his lines showed very little innovative spirit in the silhouette, whether for cocktail or evening dresses. A trim of ostrich feathers at the bottom of a sheer dress can hardly count as innovative, a “coquillet” flounce bordering a short cocktail dress is already an “old trick” many times used by Emanuel Ungaro for instance, a set of full ostrich feathers embroidered on the inside of a long evening mantle did give an obsolete touch to the look.

Add to all this that Georges Chakra has not particularly suggested a new silhouette, that he has used very fluorescent tones of absinth green, Spanish yellow, shocking pink to add some energizing touch to all his outfits, plus some polka dots or flower prints as an alternative to heavy embroideries, and you end up not knowing where he might want to direct this designs for Spring 2008.

Is it the will to satisfy his customers with easier pieces than the usual? Is it a temporary lack of inspiration? Is it a new way of looking at his couture line and place it definitely out of the research and development point of view? Only the future seasons can help us solve this riddle of a wearable, colourful but not really interesting ensemble. Let us hope his customers will push him in the same direction, as the talent is here and just needs to be encouraged to flourish in its full bloom.