A subway ticket was no doubt the smallest handout at any fashion show, but it was an essential one to discover Dumitrascu. A last-minute cancellation left the brand without its appointed venue.
So instead of Centre Pompidou, the Berlin-based designer staged a series of guerilla shows on the platform of the nearby Rambuteau station. It was a more authentic setting for this “Kebaby” line, inspired by Antep Urfa — not the pistachio capital of Turkey, but a kebab shop in Pigalle — she said.
As trains pulled in and out, models paraded on the platform, weaving through commuters wearing a mishmash of featherweight nylon dusters, floor-sweeping trousers and caftans, jackets and performance-inspired gear. Latex cohabited with grungy checks; liquid black nylon was cut into smart suits; and motocross boots were paired with a camo-printed pleated skirt. The allure was between raver kids and avant-garde gallerist.
It’s a testament to Andra Dumitrascu’s eye for the zeitgeist — and what clients want, owing to her buyer experience — that not a single commuter batted an eyelid at her “offspring of a generation on the run.”