Carven was off to a fresh start for fall, both in terms of its new designers, Adrien Caillaudaud and Alexis Martial (although Martial, whose official tenure at the house began Monday after he showed his final collection for Iceberg on Feb. 27, reportedly only helped finalize details for the lineup) and the point of view expressed in their first collection. By the looks of it, they’re the right guys for the job.
The duo didn’t reject the aesthetic established by their predecessor, Guillaume Henry — rightly so, it was quite successful — but adjusted its attitude in a sportier, more active direction. They kept alive the Sixties, feminine Parisian spirit favored by Henry with short, neat A-line skirts and nifty psychedelic floral jacquards, but distanced themselves from its strictly ladylike aspect with leaner cuts and one very important idea: “The new Carven girl is wearing pants,” said Martial.
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Pants are hardly a novel concept, but they liberated the collection. The fit was sharp and modern: high-waisted and worn with skinny belts, with a bit of stretch and tight, streamlined straight legs that hit above the ankle. These were shown in sophisticated trippy colors — lilac, aubergine, tomato red, cobalt blue, as well as black — that electrified the look while grounding it in wearable cool for the contemporary market. On top, there were fitted après-ski sweaters, crisp shirts with graphic gold disks decorating the collars, and an array of great tailored coats, cropped and long, some classic, some in nice textured leather. Here’s to successful succession.