“It doesn’t matter, just jump in,” joked Christelle Kocher to a guest who rued not having their swimsuit upon discovering the 50-meter swimming pool that took pride of place at her show venue, the new “Annette K” multipurpose barge operated by the team behind the Rosa Bonheur outdoor clubs and moored in western Paris.
After all, that’s what the designer had done when she decided to shift to the men’s schedule going forward. She said this matched her desire to be more focused and deliver earlier, to stick to closer to the realities of the market but also “detach from the madness of the women’s schedule.”
The core of her collections will therefore now be shown in January and June, and she is considering showcasing more artisanal capsules or her Rekoché upcycling work during Paris Fashion Week.
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“Today, it’s about finding your point of view, your angle, so this isn’t an upheaval, it’s an evolution to be more authentic and honest in the face of the state of the world and fashion,” she continued.
As for the clothes, she described her approach as “more sensitive, more vulnerable, more sophisticated for girls and boys,” hinging on craftsmanship but also on a sense of ease. “I’m tired of streetwear but I’m interested in a casual-chic direction,” she said. “I want people who are beautiful and dressed up.”
Her looks were dressier, for sure, but closer inspection showed that they remained rooted in her playbook of hybrids, with dresses and tuxedo trousers assembled of alternating strips of silk, lace and sports mesh cut in the bias. A knit number was zhuzhed up with minute feathers, but still looked easy to wear; another was finished with frayed fabric plumes on the shoulder.
Elsewhere, she materialized that softer direction as quotes from female authors, poets and artists scrawled over her men’s looks — shirts with interesting insets in the sleeves, smart blazers or breezy shorts — which amount to around a third of the collection.
“I wish you a kinder sea,” said an Emily Dickinson quote on the back of a shirt. Here’s hoping this applies to Kocher.