The cool confines of an unfinished concert hall of Paris’ Opera Bastille were the perfect setting for Lemaire’s quietly sensual spring collection.
It wasn’t quiet luxury as much as the luxury of a quiet moment to watch the world go by, some strolling, others sauntering past with the fast clip of those with places to be.
Completing the picture was the soundtrack of birdsong that dissolved into distant traffic and the patter of rain — unfortunately for showgoers, it was the only aural relief from the ongoing heat wave.
Reality given a cinematic polish is the bread-and-butter of Christophe Lemaire and design partner Sarah-Linh Tran, and the seasonal wardrobe played on that soft-focus logic.
Volumes floated off the body — as much a response to the rising heat as an allowance for style — yielding 1970s pointy-collar shirts, trousers with three pleats creating a roomy leg and oh-so-‘90s slipdresses.
No summertime asceticism here, however.
There was sensuality aplenty in featherweight layers that occasionally turned translucent and clever constructions like a crimson racerback dress in nubby linen that looked like it been just draped into place and another that looked like the imprint of a blouse and pleated skirt rolled into one trompe-l’oeil item.
The design duo also tapped finishes that hinted at wetness, like coated denims, paper thin crinkled leathers or a print that looked like the shirt had been splattered with rain — or sweat.
Along with prints — courtesy of a collaboration with the estate of French illustrator Claudine Wick, whose work featured in 1960s surrealist-erotic magazine Plexus — it built the impression of a come-hither that was attractive but at times whisper soft.
