Paris

Men’s – Telling A Narrative. Bode SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Two weeks after winning the CFDA Award for Emerging Designer of the Year, Emily Adams Bode has another major achievement behind her belt: her first-ever Bode runway show, in Paris, not in New York. That’s a smart move. Men’s New York fashion week has an extremely low visibility, while Bode, a brand that possibly has the brightest, sustainability-forward concept behind it in the entire industry, needs a fair spotlight. The label’s off-kilter pieces reinterpret antique quilts and domestic textiles in a workwear context to create new narratives. Each collection harmonises disparate elements, repairing and preserving materials that would otherwise be lost, thrown away. The designer produces modern heirlooms that nod to folkloric craftsmanship with hand-stitched accents and panelled constructions. For spring-summer 2020, Bode focuses on the same idea, but with a different background. As she explained backstage, ever since launching her menswear label three years ago, she has been waiting for the right moment to present a collection inspired by her familial ties to a bygone wagon workshop based in Cincinnati that produced ornate creations for Barnum & Bailey and the Ringling Brothers. “It’s about being able to tell that narrative of the historical techniques and fabrications and then [figuring out] how we can bring this to market in larger way,” she added. An intricately embroidered coat or a suede jacket with hand-stitched florals might have been the nods to her season’s reference. The clothes that impress with detailing were put together with Bode’s classics – vintage-y, short-sleeved shirts, striped, cropped pants, over-sized overalls. I’m a huge fan of Bode and its philosophy, and it’s not the first time when I’m saying this. Big hopes for winning the LVMH Prize in a couple of days!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Real Life. Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Lately, all designers want to do clothes for ‘real life’. But it’s Demna Gvasalia who actually started that trend-not-trend, first with Vetements, then with time at Balenciaga. The pre-fall 2019 look-book, that sees models walk with their phones in front of their faces or making calls, is all about Gvasalia’s Balenciaga best-selling classics: sharp tailoring, denim, over-sized volumes and exaggerated logos. It doesn’t excite much, as it feels like a transition from the summer show from last October to the winter collection we’ve seen in March. But it’s a pre-collection after all. And it’s hitting stores at this very moment.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Always On The Go. Givenchy Resort 2020

| Design & Culture by Ed

For Givenchy‘s resort 2020, Clare Waight Keller digged into the idea of a wardrobe that’s suited for travelling – from daily commuting to long distance voyages. Or, for people like Clare, who travel from London to Paris on a weekly basis, occasionally do shows in Florence (Pitti Uomo is approaching and Givenchy is this year’s guests), dress celebrities for the Met Gala in New York and check on the brand’s ambassadors in Cannes. That’s a busy schedule, and the wardrobe should be ready for anything. “What I’ve seen so much around me, and with my colleagues and friends, are the challenges of dress today when people travel so much,” she says, then laughs, pointing to one of her Resort images of a girl who has a lanyard phone pouch around her neck and a tote in one hand. “The two-bag situation. That is exactly how my life is!” For women, Waight Keller did faux-fur coats in pink and leopard print, as well as masculine coats with military buttons and sharp shape, a beige jumpsuit perfect for entire week and some really, really gorgeous eveningwear which included intriguing lace work. I somehow missed consistency in all that, but still, it’s a wardrobe of staples, ready for very different occasions. Menswear was stronger in this collection, maybe due to the model casting (that blond hair makes anything look good), maybe because of the Givenchy motorcycle helmet which stole the spotlight. Or, it was all because of this fluidity between sportiness and tailoring. A motocross sweatshirt over a shirt and tie, a green 70s suit styled with sneakers, major outerwear put together with over-sized denim pants. There’s something very Riccardo-Tisci-era Givenchy about it, but done without overhyped prints.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Other Parisian Addresses

| Design & Culture by Ed

Bought two issues of Nicole Wisniak’s legendary Egoïste for a crazy, low price… I really, really adore the Saint Germain vintage bookstores.

Seven more addresses I’ve completely fell in love with in Paris during my last stay. In case you’ve missed my other posts on the city I love the most, here’s a recap: the marvelous Musée Yves Saint Laurent, the newly opened Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées, great dining at Vivant, moving ‘Black Models’ exhibition at D’Orsay, Dries Van Noten stores on Rive Gauche, the wonderful Buly 1803, my favorite galleries near Saint Germain-Des-Pres (Laurence Esnol Gallery and Gallery Mingei), Le Marais visit with Azzedine Alaia’s spirit (the late designer’s gallery and boutique/studio/home), Lemaire heaven and delicious Baba. And here are some more!

Galerie Jousse Entreprise

Vintage furniture in a jaw-dropping space. Jean Prové, Charlotte Perriand, Alexandre Noll, you pick.

18 rue de Seine

Loewe

Of course.

46 Avenue Montaigne

Mes Demoiselles

The brand has few stores in Paris, and this one near the Seine is the prettiest. Also, I’m not surprised Parisians are crazy for Anita Radovanovic’s brand. It’s a dream wardrobe.

7 Quai Voltaire

The Broken Arm

This place doesn’t need an introduction. Marine Serre, Lemaire, Jacquemus are all here, just across a relaxing, small park in Le Marais district. If you’re not planning to shop (even though it’s really hard to resist the supply of this store), take a moment for coffee and a home-made cake from their caffè.

12 Rue Perrée

Isaac Reina

Need a wallet, pouch or bag made from leather that actually looks like toffee and has a soft, butter-y texture?  Delicious, hand-made leather goods from Isaac Reina are a Parisian’s classic. By the way, I did an interview with the designer a long, long time ago…

12 Rue de Thorigny

Libraire 7L

This one is very sentimental. Located 7 rue de Lille, in the 7th district of Paris, not far from Saint Germain des Prés, from the Louvre museum, and from the Orsay museum, the 7L Bookshop was created by the late Karl Lagerfeld in 1999. Books on design, niche design and fashion magazine, and rare exhibition catalogues are sold here.

7 Rue de Lille

The Church of St. Eustache

While Notre Dame is unavailable due to well known reasons, the Church of St. Eustache will do. The breath-taking rigour of French Gothic is an experience in itself.

2 Impasse Saint-Eustache

All photos by Edward Kanarecki.

I’ve Seen You Before. Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2019

| Design & Culture by Ed

Looking at Anthony Vaccarello‘s Saint Laurent through a prism of his delightful campaigns (Juergen Teller’s spring-summer ad shot around Como and the recent Keanu Reeves spread are highlights), his girls gang (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Anja Rubik, Zoë Kravitz, Kate Moss, Mica Arganaraz, need more?) and art projects (production of Gaspar Noé’s latest film that premiered in Cannes, Lux Aeterna, starring Gainsbourg, Beatrice Dalle and Vaccarello’s model muses) and spectacular fashion show venues, you really feel like his work is… major. And, it does sell very well. But since Hedi Slimane is back in fashion with his Celine, you just can’t help but think: I’ve seen that face before. And while the new Celine aggressively hits the stores, and most of the clothes look identical to Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent (crucial note: YSL was actually defibrillated by Slimane some years ago with his slim look aesthetic, new branding and white marble floors), there’s a tension growing on. Do we really need two brands doing the same mini-dresses, boyish tuxedos and traumatically size 0 apparel? Moreover, both designers reintepret their maisons codes for the contemporary times: Anthony keeps on squeezing out Yves’ legendary Le Scandale collection, while Hedi goes for bringing back the old, very old bourgeois style of pre-pre-pre-Phoebe-Philo-era Celine. But somehow, the results are too similar. One thing’s sure: Hedi was first in the game. Still, fashion forgets quickly. Time will show who wins. Or maybe there will be enough customers to push both brands’ turnovers?

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.