The most noteworthy piece of news to arise from Isabel Marant’s latest show was the complete absence of denim on the runway. This is a designer who has mined that particular fabric so frequently and with so much panache that she has become the target of rip-offs from New York to New Delhi. But Marant was apparently over her cool jeans this season, instead moving into a more sophisticated realm of leisurely dressing. She used pleating and fringing as her new trends du jour and delved into these more craft-minded techniques with enthusiasm. Knife pleats worked their way into micro mini skirts and heavy duty gladiator belts that cinched newly proper tailored jackets. Fringe found its way onto leather skirts and later morphed into tassels on woven poncho tops, and vests covered in shaggy frills. The concept hit its climax with a fabulous short skirt crafted from black raffia worn with a demure long sleeve black knit top. This being a Marant show, however, the mood stayed casual with a pair of thong-front, ankle-cuff black gladiator sandals that will, no doubt, set the next way of copycats working on overdrive.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
