Men’s / Lemaire SS18

June 23, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

A two-piece band from Berlin named Die Wilde Jagd performed during Lemaire‘s spring-summer 2018 fahion show, which was staged in an industrial garage space. Music, and specifically the one coming from Germany, played an important role for Christophe Lemaire‘s and Sarah Linh Tran‘s creative process this season. In a line of black and navy looks, suddenly a red cotton poplin overshirt emerged. “It’s super minimal,” Christophe said backstage. “I was really driven by all those German bands I loved from the ’70s and early ’80s, like Kraftwerk, this kind of stylish, German, super-normal thing.” Ah! The idea behind the unprecedented red came from “the cover of The Man-Machine. And the all-white look, that oversize zippered blouson and the sneaker boots, is a reference to La Düsseldorf.” Cultural context is all in fashion.

Back to the collection, Lemaire delivers its all time signatures for men, like perfectly tailored blazers, tank-tops for heatwave periods and spring-ready coats. The designers invited Portuguese craftsmen to produce the semi-closed sandals, making your grandpa’s footwear a thing to steal.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

French Charm. Lemaire AW17

March 7, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

If you’re reading my blog from time to time, you might surely know how much I love Lemaire. So you can imagine how happy I was, when I visited the brand’s showroom on Le Marais for the first time, just a few days after Christophe Lemaire‘s and Sarah-Linh Tran‘s autumn-winter 2017 fashion show.

But before I will start drooling over the pieces I’ve seen in the showroom, let’s take a look at the collection. Inspired with 40s sport chic garments and Chinese uniforms, the duo had a balance of soft and austere on their mind. But the inspirations behind the collection served just as small concepts, ideas – Lemaire is never over-referential, but rather stays true to its minimal aesthetic. Corduroy tailoring, manish volumes, curved sleeves, distorted silhouttes and all of that kept mostly in flesh tones and classic black. Occasionaly, white see-through stockings peeked out; eclectic jewellery, hand-made in a Parisian atelier, brought charm; pony-hair heels defined understated cool. Lemaire and Tran always pay attention to the clothes’ quality, that’s why all the knits felt even fleecier than usual. I can’t forget to mention the denim pants. The cognac-brown tote. The shirt with XXL sleeves. I need. To. Stop.

Lemaire AW17

Men’s – Existentialism. Lemaire AW17

January 19, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Yolk-yellow peeked out beneath coffee-brown. Dove-grey and camel-beige. Poetic black and elegant indigo-blue. As you can see right away, Christophe Lemaire‘s autumn-winter 2017 collection for men was a beautiful conversation between colours. And the clothes were beautiful too, in every meaning of this word. I’m absolutely a Lemaire-type of person and I would wear anything coming from this collection right now. The loose-fit of pants; perfectly tailored pea-coat; parka jacket that would stay in my wardrobe for ever. Aah. Yet, it’s all distinctively French, and the collection quietly nods to the existentionalist-writer style. Albert Camus, for instance.

#2016 – Lemaire

December 11, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran are a love couple. Simultaneously, they are two creative minds working under the same roof – Lemaire. It’s a pleasure to see how their designs for women and men evolve from season-to-season, and become quintessential in Parisian wardrobes.

At Lemaire, style is a conversation between feminine silhouettes and masculine forms: there’s a soft, middle point in-between those two universes. Also, it’s a sense of individuality, and attitude. Christophe and Sarah-Linh understand that through nonconforming styling, one-of-a-kind accessories (take the wooden-bags) and even the statement show-closing, which involves models to walk around the venue randomly, in a real-life motion. For spring-summer 2017, the designers proved they aren’t only masters of total-looks; they know what’s clothes-making. Crinkled dress worn over over-sized pants; peculiar volume cognac-brown coats. A dancer’s tank-top, pleated skirt and knitted, dove-grey tights – that’s the most sensual look of the season. If you ask me, I live for such fashion moments.

Christophe Lemaire‘s utterly French outing for his autumn-winter 2016 wasn’t just about models, who presented the clothes. The girls at Lemaire show glanced at the audience in a naturally captivating way – as if they weren’t models, but women who wear Christophe’s seductive dresses, felt wool pants and low-heeled shoes on daily basis. The approach stays always the same, with just a few additions to the line.

Lemaire leaves me wanting more. I want to see even more of it in 2017!

Your wardrobe needs… Lemaire red wool sweater, Lemaire camera bag, Lemaire cropped pants & Lemaire trench coat.

Feminist. Lemaire SS17

October 2, 2016October 2, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran are a love couple. Simultaneously, they are two creative minds working under the same roof – Lemaire. It’s a pleasure to see how their designs for women evolve from season-to-season, and become quintessential in Parisian wardrobes. Really, along Phoebe Philo of Céline, they create clothes which define “feminist” to the fullest.

“Feminist” in fashion, though, isn’t about t-shirts with slogans (which appeared during Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut at Dior), but it’s a conversation between feminine silhouettes and masculine forms: there’s a soft, middle point in-between those two universes. Also, it’s a sense of individuality, and attitude. Christophe and Sarah-Linh understand that through nonconforming styling, one-of-a-kind accessories (take the wooden-bags) and even the statement show-closing, which involves models walk around the venue randomly, in a real-life motion. For spring-summer 2017, the designers proved they aren’t only masters of total-looks; they are geniuses in clothes-making. Crinkled dress worn over over-sized pants; peculiar volume of cognac-brown coats; dancer’s tank-top, pleated skirt and knitted, dove-grey tights is the most sensual look of the season. If you ask me, I live for such fashion moments as this show.