“So meticulous!” Nicolas Ghesquière enthused after viewing the spring lineup at Paco Rabanne, whose designer, Julien Dossena, learned the ropes under Ghesquière during his Balenciaga days.
Dossena’s collection bore the exacting standards of Ghesquière and a commitment to experimentation — par for the course for a label whose original claim to fame was 12 unwearable dresses.
Dossena’s slips in black metal mesh were outstanding, softened by ruffles and rippling over the body like a sprinting jersey might in a 100-meter dash. Metallic discs — another Rabanne fixation that can be clunky — came embedded in sound-absorbing circles of scuba material and were strung as bouncy fringe on vaguely Sixties minidresses.
“Athletic sensuality,” Dossena said backstage about the sport influences that ran across the collection, from yoga pants with side ruffles to a group of “swimsuit dresses” carved in more scuba material with swishing jersey skirts.
You May Also Like
Some looks were a bit overcharged with rough-hewn harnesses, cords or garter-shaped lobes that lapped around the legs. But there was no question: Dossena has youthful cool down pat, exemplified by his slouchy boyfriend trousers and trippy, neo-Eighties hoodies.