Ami is a brand that orbits around the idea of Paris. Parisian chic, Parisian grayness, Parisian je ne sais quoi. Sometimes, it’s just too much Paris. Last season, the brand shut down Sacré-Coeur and coaxed French actor Audrey Tautou out of semi-retirement to open the show. After the brand’s ridiculous appearance in an episode of the third season of Netflix’s series Emily in Paris, in which the titular marketing whiz orchestrates a campaign featuring Ami-logo balloons, show attendees might have expected to have Paris’s perkiest American envoy Emily Cooper leading the latest line-up. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, and Alexandre Mattiussi went back to basics. “I’ve already done a lot about that Parisian postcard vibe,” he said. “After 12 years, this is what we’ve been known for, this Parisian chic, easygoing energy. But I felt with this collection it has to be something else.” Something else turned out to be an Opéra Bastille location and a pared-back collection that focused on semaphoring languid ease. The label shelved the bright colors in favour of a muted palette of vanilla, butter, and gray. Great emphasis was put on fluid silhouettes – generous overcoats cut with a certain amount of slouch, pleated wide-leg trousers, flat shoes worn with nubbly cappuccino-hued socks – and comfortable fabrics. As Charlotte Rampling closed the show, radiant in a navy-blue pant suit, one sensed a vibe shift coming from a brand that at one point became too all-over-the-place.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!