With immigration top of the political agenda in Europe, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran made a case for multiculturalism with their men’s collection for Lemaire, shown on the eve of Britain’s referendum on European Union membership.
They sprinkled the lineup with djellabas — in crisp cotton poplin or slightly weightier denim — worn over tailored wool pants that gave them a dressy edge. The melting-pot ethos was underlined by eclectic references ranging from Japanese-flavored black slippers to Fifties-style ducktail hairdos.
Earth tones and light layers — including billowing nylon parkas — gave the collection a travel-friendly feel, as did reporter’s jackets with voluminous pockets, including a sleeveless version layered over a formal jacket.
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Lemaire said he cribbed the look from the older Arab men who live in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris, famously — and absurdly — described by Fox News as a Muslim-only “no-go” zone.
“That’s also what Paris, and Europe in general, is about. It’s the idea of cosmopolitanism and different influences,” Lemaire said backstage. “It’s terrible to see this hysteria, this kind of stupidity in the debates. It’s important to stay true to open-minded values and morals.”
Poignantly, the show was held across the road from La Belle Equipe, one of the bars targeted in the November terrorist attacks that killed 130 people. It proved that in fashion, at least, all cultures can happily coexist.