A year after Ann Demeulemeester bowed out of her label, her absence can be felt. Under the direction of Sébastian Meunier, Mirjam van den Akker and Patrick van Ommeslaeghe, the spring collection of ethereal rocker dandies — deconstructed layers of sheer tanks, droopy pants and men’s tailoring — only echoed the emotional charge Demeulemeester could illicit. An emphasis on sheer, open cuts and airy layers, some in optic white and bluish lavender, suggested a deliberately lighter take on the house’s wistful melancholy.
There were pretty pieces, such as the pinwheel-printed gowns with sweeping paneled backs and filmy tanks tied with spaghetti strings. But the tailoring was drained of Demeulemeester’s poetic, avant structure, leaving the lineup with a faint pulse.