Lemaire

Christophe Lemaire and Sarah Linh Tran just can’t help layering. But no one does it like them in this business. They manage to extract a certain poetry in the way they layer knits, flowing silks and outerwear. For their autumn-winter 2024 season, the Lemaire designers explained they sought a more intimate encounter with the clothes while wanting to welcome people into their “environment” – metaphorically, as their brand’s soul, and literally, as in their newly-opened headquarters. “Humbly and honestly,” said Tran. “For us, it’s a beautiful story of building a collective with strong values and a passion for doing good things,” added Lemaire. “Not so many independent brands in Paris have a studio, an atelier, all the departments in one building, so we wanted people to feel all of this.” The show’s staging comprised a raised, circular runway conceived by artist Fran Cottell. As the models (diverse in age and background) entered from the courtyard, they made the loop with clever yet natural choreography – lingering long enough to have their doubled-up, tone-on-tone jackets noticed; twirling to accentuate the movement of a ballet-style wrap skirt; proceeding with purpose in a relaxed, cacao-colored suit or total look in limestone. One model wearing black stirrup leggings, a sheer overskirt and block heels had a pair of derbies swinging from her bag. Somehow in Lemaire, effortless and impeccable coexist.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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As the models arrived at the expansive Lemaire runway – an enclosed university parvis accompanied by a score composed of rain, city sounds and birds – looking this way and that, walking with purpose, their light, tonal layers were primed for a summer afternoon downpour. And for all their stylistic idiosyncrasies, they could have belonged in Paris, but also Vietnam, where a recent trip inspired Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran to explore how travel encourages a more deliberate rapport with what we wear. “We like to design from reality,” said Lemaire. “Like everyone, we’re experiencing global warming and the need for lighter fabric, lighter clothes, protection pieces – and we try to bring that functionality to our work.” Tran noted how this body of work is currently full of archetypal shapes – twisted, balloon, boxy – that can be revisited season after season. These designs are already so elemental and timeless that adjustments need only be incremental to register as fresh. “It’s just about adding layers that evolve with time,” she said.

The palette brought added dimension through an alluring spectrum spanning earthy, fleshy, inky, and airy. Two unassuming prints – a dark stripe and a faded floral – made the lineup feel believable, less rigid. But to see a sea of sameness would be missing the Lemaire approach altogether. “What we like to do is present characters and not just themes,” Lemaire said, noting that they spend considerable time on casting. “We want [the models] to feel credible. For us, style is about that… when there is a coherence of the personality and outfit.” For the designers, the intention in every collection – but particularly in this one – was about seeing the clothes in the street. “What we’re interested in is to try and embellish reality. We should learn to look at reality, so we start by that… and hopefully we end with looking like a better version of ourselves,” Lemaire summed up.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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