Vera Wang releases collection on video tribute to Paris

US designer Vera Wang has unveiled her Autumn/Winter 2017 ready-to-wear collection with a video that pays homage to the city of Paris.

The unorthodox decision to forego New York Fashion Week and debut the collection via film was influenced by the fact that Wang received the "Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur" in Paris on February 28, in recognition of her lengthy fashion career.

Titled "It Was Paris From the Start", the film sees Wang narrate how she came to fall in love with the French capital, which she first lived in as a 19-year-old figure skater. Directed by Yvan Fabing, she relives her earliest memories of the city throughout the various stages of her life, as her latest pieces are modelled for the camera, to the strains of a soundtrack from Laurent D'Herbecourt.

The collection itself is also inspired by the city, featuring French military references and "plumassier" hand work that captures "the masculine and feminine dichotomy." There are full-length gowns, semi-sheer skirts, oversized leather bomber jackets with shearling trim and embroidered mini dresses, all based on a color palette of the designer's signature sophisticated black and chic cream, with plenty of gold accents that echo the opulence of the Parisian apartment acting as the film's set.