Haider Ackermann is one of those Paris designers who perpetually operates just under the radar. He's been around for at least half a decade, but for those who haven't seen one of his collections in almost as long, here's a message: Take a new look. Ackermann has a soigné way with the simplest of materials. He can drape humble cotton jersey into a twenty-first-century Vionnet, and what he does with leather could make even Rick Owens envious.
Second-skin leather jackets with the sleeves rolled up way past the elbows formed the basis of his collection; they unzipped in sinuous diagonals across the torso and clung to the models' every curve. Satin dresses were similarly cut in spirals, their zippers winking open at the waist or the hips to flash a bit of skin. The highlight of the show was a pair of diaphanous silk dresses shading from black to violet to midnight-blue like a stormy night sky. If there's a criticism to be made it's that Ackermann still hasn't found a way to replicate the swirling sexiness of his jackets and dresses in pants form, but when everything else looks this beautiful, that can be forgiven.
