Fantasizing about a cool summer in the mountains felt like pure escapism for Louis‑Gabriel Nouchi when he started working on his spring collection.
By the time his Friday show rolled around, France’s early heatwave made that yearning painfully relatable despite efforts across the board to alleviate the temperature.
Backstage, the Paris-based designer said his choice of imaginary locale had brought him to think about “Twin Peaks,” with its mists and the “unsettling elegance” of its main character, FBI agent Dale Cooper. Further setting the stage was the venue bathed in red light, which had guests squirming in their seats as much as the series’ infamous Red Room did its protagonists.
True to form, Nouchi built his silhouettes as characters from David Lynch’s cult series. While the detective played up the tailoring side of the brand, the rebellious teenager and small-town waitress provided a fresh angle.
Denim was key here, as were prints nodding to a checked shirt Nouchi bought in his youth. There were lingerie touches, mined from his and hers small drawers, that yielded boxer shorts that puffed ever so slightly, tanks cut from pointelle jersey, and sweet frills edging classic men’s socks.
Nouchi also used the season as an opportunity to build out his womenswear capsule, this time offering dresses, with support built in to ensure a streamlined silhouette, but also a long skirt that figured tailored trousers slashed along the inseam.
Along with a take on sensuality that played with layers rather than bare skin, the season skewed less fever dream and more quiet crowdpleaser outing.
