Mood board: This was Haider Ackermann’s sophomore collection for Berluti, the LVMH-owned luxury brand best known for its leather savoir-faire. His signature was all over the staging, the casting and the easy, believable lavishness of the clothes. S/S 2018 was inspired by the colour palette of American-German photographer Erwin Blumenfeld; to wit, the collection features the same hues of pinkish greys, sunbleached amber and powdery blues and gold. There was a modernist athleticism to the wide leg, easy-fit trackpants and light cashmere coats offered in a range of cool colours.
Finishing touches: Ackermann subverted textile and silhouette; a utilitarian tank top was in silk jersey, the lining of jogging pants and the waistband of trousers in the finest silk. The accessories were luxury from inside out – a tote bag in double-faced leather was black on the outside and dove-grey on the inside. A flat slipper made from a single piece of soft nubuck leather came from the classic Alessandro Oxford shoe, adding a bohemian loucheness to the exquisite collection.
Scene setting: The staging for the show was the courtyard of the Monnaie de Paris on the Left Bank – it felt true to Haider Ackerman’s luxuriously intimate and sensuous presentations for his namesake label. Models walked from all angles across the cobbled floor, crossing over, walking fast and then slow – men, women, they were there and suddenly not. It was rigorous and aggressively modern: this is a proposition for those who are not interested in the details of being told how to look. No, the Berluti customer is sure of that. Stella Tenant walked in the show wearing a reductivist long black leather coat with a fine-knit jumper and white silk trousers, joined by fellow model Finnlay Davis in the same look. A radical gesture, delivered with extreme elegance.