Ever since Isabel Marant launched her eponymous label in the 90s, the designer has set the gold standard for contemporary French style. Her approach — to design clothes that she, herself, and by default, her peers, would like to wear — has universal appeal, capturing the hearts (and wardrobes) of women around the world who hope to convey a casual confidence whether “leaving the club or freshly back from the beach”.
In designing her SS23 collection, the designer decided to go back to her roots — upgrading the Isabel Marant silhouette and codes, and imbuing them with an optimistic spirit. Before the show at the Palais Royal last night, the designer told models, including Bella and Gigi Hadid, and Mona Tougaard, to look alive, look at people in the crowd and to smile. The girls were dancing backstage, the mood was light and, during a week full of proper, down to business fashion, it was fun.
The clothes carried this spirit, “a sense of extreme lightness”, and though the collection was heavily rooted in 90s and Y2K nostalgia, it was timeless. The SS23 collection was replete with shimmering silk slip dresses and tops, cheekily paired with low rise leather moto skirts and briefs. There were camo print jackets and cargo pants, and swinging boho glam meets indie sleaze mini dresses. With this collection the designer isn’t necessarily reinventing the wheel, but she is proving that, decades on, she still knows what cool girls want to wear — Isabel Marant.
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Images via Spotlight