Scene setting: Performance has been high on the agenda for Paris fashion week, and at times the theatre of a fashion show can distract from a ready-to-wear collection and project drama well above the actual clothing on the catwalk. With Lemaire, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran have gained a legion of followers for their realistic approach to design. They are the auteurs of pared-back and classic pieces that bring genuine joy to women’s wardrobes. For S/S 2019 they switched up their runway set up, with a show at the music venue Élysée Montmartre. Models wandered on stage as if crossing a busy street or drifting through a nightclub, to the post-punk and frenetic music of Washington DC’s Sneaks.
Mood board: There was sophisticated and relaxed ease to the men’s and women’s silhouettes, and as Lemaire’s models crossed the catwalk, you could quite easily imagine them exiting onto the street and into a chic office space. There were soft trenches which knotted at the waist, beige dress coats and double breasted jackets, pieces in a neutral colour palette with splashes of red or green and a splodgy Dalmatian print. Lemaire and Tran also paid attention to purity in martial arts uniforms. There were wafty karate trousers, a soft stonewashed denim jacket with tie-like Obi belts, and a shirt swathed in thick ribbons.
Finishing touches: Lemaire debuted its chic and sculptural camera bag on the S/S 2017 catwalk, and this style reappeared on the runway, alongside other practical slouchy leather bags slung across the body. §
