Everything about this collection was distilled, from the curated drinks offered in the courtyard of the showroom venue on Rue des Capucines to the seating. Wooden folding chairs lined the gilt-edged, mirrored rooms of the space, and they were packed so tightly that guests who had the extra mouthful of mousse au chocolat risked not being able to sit at all.
The clothing, some of the priciest ready-to-wear on the market today, was just as spare, a whisper of a collection from two pioneers of quiet luxury, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. While other brands and designers may have moved on to more colorful or exotic fare, the label’s founders are sticking to what they do best, 24-karat clothing.
The sisters leaned fully into The Row’s rich heritage, serving up rich, two-tone or monochrome styles, fashion’s equivalent of a black-and-white truffle banquet. All-black looks ranged from narrow trousers and button-front jackets fit for Audrey Hepburn in her “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” days and a long coat with a sweeping drape at the back to a lineup of spare, strapless evening gowns recalling John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X” painting.
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Offsetting those dark tones was a white turtleneck and matching feather-strewn skirt, a pristine workwear jacket (will its wearer ever lift a finger?), oversize trapeze dresses, and neat trenches that recalled late 1950s Dior.
The sisters turned up the sound ever so slightly with a few two-tone looks. There was a flash of cream in the front slit of a long black dress, while a lightweight gray sweater and pale satin slip skirt ensemble was something the boss lady from “Emily in Paris,” Sylvie Grateau, might wear on a casual Friday.
It was classic and classy and there is no doubt the high-street retailers will be churning out those hushed silhouettes in no time. In the meantime, the VIPs and HNWIs can easily shop their closets as they wait for the luscious pieces, and heavy price tags, to land.