There’s a kinkiness that has been tucked away in the past of Madame Sonia Rykiel. It took the braveness of new artistic director Geraldo Da Conceicao to bring that to the forefront in a dramatic change up from the usual Rykiel collections of happy-go-lucky knits. Macau-born Conceicao has a wealth of experience from his time at Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and Yves Saint Laurent. Conceicao looked to Madame Sonia Rykiel herself to inspire the collection – “a free woman with a very intelligent and playful brain.” He imagined a woman bathed mainly in black, taking pleasure in textures and colour for herself – be it a suggestive strip of fuschia tufted mohair across the breasts, or a delicate triangle over one’s lady parts, a butter soft black leather worked into an open-necked coat or a circular plastic embroidered black skirt. Sensuality was simmering under demure knee lengths, slashed open or the sides or round-necked double-breasted blazers. In other words, Condeicao’s ex-employees showed but ultimately, it was Madame Rykiel’s riotious and carefree beginnings, which prevailed. All the models emerged for the finale in a uniform of a graphic jumper and low-slung leatherette trousers. It was a 'Poor Boy sweater' moment rebirthed for the 21st century.

www.soniarykiel.com

Makeup: Dick Page

Models pictured: Marine Deleeuw-@DeleeuwMarine, Bette Franke-@Bette_Franke, Julia Nobis-@JuliaNobis1, Ashleigh Good-@Ashleighh_Good, Iris van Berne-@irisvberne, Josephine Le Tutour-@JosephineLT_, Sara Blomqvist-@SaraBlomqvist