LINEAGE at Paris Fashion Week

Simon Porte Jacquemus had started his eponymous label approximately ten years ago, and it was clear that this new decade marked a maturing that still honored the designer’s self-proclaimed “naïveté” attitude. The models were draped in structured trousers and button-down shirts but worn with an air of dismissal and carelessness. The juxtaposition of the two can be seen in one look particularly— male models were donning unbuttoned pants over their fully buttoned ones underneath. This playfulness encapsulates the endless possibilities of wear in seemingly strict composition.

French heritage brand Hermès conveyed a similar notion through its use of color and graphics. Founded in 1837 as the shop for saddlery and other riding accessories, Hermès began to introduce its famed bags and scarves in the early 1900’s and has since branched into ready-to-wear. The Autumn 2020 Menswear collection that Hermès showcased displayed its long history in craftsmanship in dialogue with prints that enlivened and modernized. A swirled grey-scale pattern in between a crisp white shirt and leather trench exemplified this subtle yet pointed touch.

Anthony Hunter’s pieces share the playfulness of Jacquemus and engagement with form and color as seen in Hermès. The separation of the blue and orange by a blurred, yet distinct, white line is delivered almost as an act of improvisation. The pink “moon blob” in the bright orange sky is subtle yet pointed out in the title. The more you engage with Hunter’s piece the more you are able to find motifs that resonate with you individually.

Although an observation on two French fashion brands with strikingly different histories, the approach of exploring individuality through structure and color is something that art embraces. Fashion as a medium of art is able to explore this relationship in a direct way. The engagement of body and design amplifies the ways in which structure can be manipulated. Fabrics move with the body and in doing so prints as well as subtle tailoring are given a chance to breathe a new perspective onto those wearing them.