Scene setting: A stone’s throw away from the brand’s studio between République and the Carreau du Temple, the Ecole Duperré – a state-sponsored applied arts and design school – has swiftly become Lemaire’s fashion week HQ. Models have strutted across its classrooms in previous seasons; but, this time, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran, hoping it wouldn’t rain – it didn’t – chose the cour intérieure for the show. It was the perfect place to observe the curiously un-Parisian architecture of the school, built between 1911 and 1913 in brick, glass and steel, more in the spirit of the Arts and Crafts Movement than in the Haussmanien codes. It’s easy to understand why the duo likes this building: its practical, no frills look befits the realist philosophy of Lemaire.
Soundbite: ‘We like clothes to be a kind of new nudity. This is a kind of makeup for the body. We also liked this idea of having fabrics with a wet effect. We wanted to work around quite defined silhouettes and wet blacks’, Sarah-Linh Tran said backstage. The show score was composed of the kinds of noises one can hear when living in an apartment building: kids playing, people climbing stairs, samples of muffled music, indistinct conversations. Life. Quite simply what Lemaire’s clothes are meant for. Shades of cream, black, smoky grey and beige covered deceptively simple clothes: liquid shiny coats and pleated trousers were paired with velvety nude bodysuits. Slip dresses were draped organically around the waist. Waxed silk raincoats covered skirts and wooden sweaters. Monochromatic suits in oversized proportions came with a slouchy, jazzy charm. As usual, it was all substance. But it was also all style.
Finishing touches: Like the clothes, Lemaire’s accessories are less about dash than real life practicality. This time was no exception: sandals were wrapped around the ankles, delicately securing the feet. Shoulder bags came in big proportions, perfect to hang a trench coat from when it suddenly gets too hot (Parisians know a bit about that). The closest the brand comes to dabbing in pure ornament might be the Carlos bag, a seashell-shaped hand-moulded vegetable-tan piece, as pared-down as it is striking. Just like the whole collection.
Lemaire S/S 2020.
Lemaire S/S 2020.
Lemaire S/S 2020.
Lemaire S/S 2020.
-
The first-ever lava lamp has been reissued, alongside a new giant versionThe manufacturer of the 1960s design icon presents a new, 3m-tall lava lamp, as well as a limited-edition take on the first ‘Astro’ lamp, in collaboration with Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis
-
These are the best design exhibitions to see in Paris this weekAs Design Miami Paris and Art Basel Paris make their return, we round up the best design exhibitions to discover in the city
-
Spice up the weekly shop at Mallorca’s brutalist supermarketIn this brutalist supermarket, through the use of raw concrete, monolithic forms and modular elements, designer Minimal Studio hints at a critique of consumer culture
-
Inside Roger Vivier’s opulent new Paris HQ and archive, a haven for shoe loversWallpaper* takes a tour of ‘Maison Vivier’, an 18th-century hôtel particulier that houses the French shoemaker’s headquarters, studio and archive – an extraordinary collection of over 1,000 pairs of shoes
-
25 of the best white T-shirts, fashion’s most versatile stapleThe white T-shirt is the foundation of any good outfit, but finding the perfect one isn’t easy. We've curated a unisex list of our fashion desk’s favourite white tees, from cult favourites to luxurious classics
-
The key takeaways from the S/S 2026 shows: freedom, colour and romance define fashion’s new chapterWe unpack the trends and takeaways from the S/S 2026 season, which saw fashion embrace a fresh start with free-spirited collections and a bold exploration of colour and form
-
The independent designers you might have missed from fashion month S/S 2026Amid a tidal wave of big-house debuts, we take you through the independent displays that may have slipped through the cracks – from beautiful imagery to bookshop takeovers, museum displays and moves across the pond
-
From wearable skincare to scented runways, unpacking the unconventional beauty moments of fashion month S/S 2026The S/S 2026 season featured everything from probiotic-lined athleisure to fragranced runways – and those Maison Margiela mouthguards
-
Pierpaolo Piccioli makes Balenciaga debut ‘from a place of love and connection’Attended by Anne Hathaway and Meghan Markle, the ex-Valentino designer’s first runway display for Balenciaga took place within Kering’s Paris headquarters
-
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez make a bold start at Loewe, inspired by Ellsworth Kelly’s ‘elemental colours’The former Proenza Schouler designers presented their debut collection for Loewe this morning, channelling ‘clarity and colour, sensual physicality, and sunniness’
-
‘Change is inevitable’: Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior womenswear collection recodes the house’s archiveAn audacious collection from the Northern Irish designer, presented in Paris this afternoon, saw him reconsider the Dior archive in his unwaveringly inventive style
