If there is such a thing as a “Lemaire person,” runway shows twice a year provide a reminder that it’s more about individuality and wanting to look interesting and confident than any kind of conformity. Sure, some may wonder if there’s an advanced art to Lemaire layering, yet to hear Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran tell it, it should be the opposite of complicated. “Every time we do styling, we try to make them believable, as if it were a character in real life,” he said.
Today’s series of Lemaire characters seem equipped to face real life with even more sophistication and flair – as well as magnifying glass necklaces (made by Austrian craftsman Karl Aubock), presumably to see the world in greater focus. Tran referred to it as clothing for “the intensity of living nowadays”.
From an early look pairing an airy balloon skirt with a leather jacket to several men’s ensembles, there was a clear swish that inspired the models’ movements. But then a range of jacket shapes – fitted, rounded, boxy – were created so that the silhouette gave the models a strong stature. The seating area placed us at eye level with glass-topped bags and provided a glimpse of ribbed knitted garters beneath layers of coats and high boots in pale lavender – which is to say, surreal and sensual.
As Lemire mentioned it, one influence that joined the dots was the dynamism of modern dance, as pioneered by Pina Bausch and Merce Cunningham, with dreamy post-rehearsal outfits made up of body-skimming and loose layers. Completed with. Fashion can often be described as armour; Yet here it was this fluidity that proved so inspiring.
Elsewhere, signature tonal ensembles (see café-colored denim and soft robe coats) were mixed with high-contrast pairings of black and ivory. The scarlet asymmetric shirtdress and flash of deep blue – both typically outside the brand’s color spectrum – brought us somewhere… cheeky?
“Yes, of course, that’s the right word!” Lemire said. with fashion business Recently reporting that the brand surpassed €100 million ($103 million) in sales last year, the designer confirmed that they are in a position to think more boldly. “It’s great because business success brings confidence. It helps you improve your work… (which) is probably defining a new luxury,” he said. “It’s not about showing off or showing off…it’s about feeling like a better version of yourself. This is our passion: how we can create clothes that give you a feeling of empowerment and upliftment.”
That doesn’t mean that Lemaire’s grassroots side – the part that plays into his Uniqlo collaborations – has been abandoned. Throughout the show, heart beats slowed down to the beat of street drums; Our inner and outer worlds were a raucous soundtrack with Solange nodding from the front row. When Lemire and Tran emerged, the curves of their baby bumps were suitably highlighted in a chocolate brown men’s shirt and knit skirt with wrap detail. Lemire’s most definitive proof of real life.
