A bridal element is not uncommon in fashion shows. Haute couture shows traditionally finish with a ‘bride’ – a model who is usually a favourite of the designer, or his muse dressed in a gown that loosely resembles a wedding dress. Having a wedding-themed show is less common, but that’s how Stephane Ashpool chose to present Pigalle’s SS17 menswear collection yesterday at Paris Fashion Week.
Set at the Musée de Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, the show’s venue was fit for a wedding. As a live band played, guests sat around drinking champagne in the museum’s garden – on chairs set around tables covered with tablecloth. An enormous flower arrangement spelled out “Pigalle”.
The collection itself comprised of Ashpool’s signature basketball clothing-infused tailoring, rendered in off-white and soft pastels. Models wore pool sliders and Nike trainers (made in a special collaboration between the two brands), joggers and quilted shorts, varsity jackets and unstructured suit jackets. At the end of the show, Ashpool emerged – wearing Huaraches, joggers and a lilac suit jacket – along with his partner.
After the finale, Ashpool came out for a final bow, kept standing and looked over to his girlfriend, who was lead over by two models. As they came together, they kissed and the models threw a white sheet over them before lifting it off again.
“The first time I got dressed elegantly was for the wedding of my parents when I was seven years old,” explained Ashpool in the show notes. “I was very touched by the party, the champagne, the outfits, the mood... I had been looking forward to enjoying it as well! In love with an angel, tonight is a celebration of what we all appreciate the most in this world: free love.”
“This feeling I do my best to feed all the time motivated me to create a collection around the theme of a wedding. More comfortable in the creation and technically, this eleventh collection is an interpretation of how I see my witnesses. I hope to be able to give you a hug after the show, and wish you all a good time.”
