Editors in paper scrubs watch a show of organic neoprene shapes and childlike charm
Initial reaction:
A child cutting garments out of paper, having fun with a box of crayons and drawing some seriously wonky circles everywhere. Except Jacquemus designer Simon Porte is drawing things out in neoprene and wool, and keying into oversized and mannish tailoring.
The uniform:
As we walked into Palais de Tokyo, we were asked by the PRs to put on what looked like a hospital gown or a CSI investigation suit. They wore blue ones, we wore them in white, with primary coloured egg-shaped felt pieces applied haphazardly. We were told that we would “need” them so we duly put them on, thinking there was going to be a paintballing session or something. Some of the super chic French editors refused, but most were game. We waited, the show happened and as it ended, we wondered what was supposed to happen. Backstage, Porte said he wanted people to really be immersed into the show. He wanted everyone to be on the same level. It wasn’t about dictating his aesthetic on to people though. He just wanted people to have fun. And taking selfies in scrubs was fun. Moreover, it made us think about Porte’s desire to strip out the usual hierarchy in a fashion week scenario. In these Jacquemus suits, we were ALL there for one thing – to see his clothes and to analyse them afterwards.
Stand out look:
The final asymmetric navy collage coat, with one pale blue sleeve, random red tabs on the other sleeve and a yellow pebble-shaped pocket.
How they wore it:
All white Adidas Superstars, white pop socks, slightly mussed-up hair and a superfast stroppy walk like they couldn’t wait to get this show thing-a-ma-jig out of the way. As always, Porte likes to cast his own set of girls, eschewing big model names. It takes a certain gawky stance to carry off his type of deliberately awkward charm. One journalist described the Jacquemus girl as kind of “crusty” – meant in the best way possible!
Quote of the show:
"I don't like to intellectualise fashion. It's something very instinctive. Like a child deciding to do something just because they want to. Those circles are like a child drawing something but very badly.” – Simon Porte
