Ossie Clark and Jean Muir were Andrew Gn's influences this season. It made for a very timely turn away from the short skirts he's done for years. In their place: flowing dresses and flaring, full trousers worn with tunics and longer belted jackets. Gn's aesthetic, of course, is more haute than hippie. It's doubtful those 1970's designers ever worked with such fine printed silks and crepes, and their clients likely never encountered the kind of private shopping experience Gn can now give his devotees in his newly opened Marais salon.
The show began with a group of white dresses, tiers of ruffled dotted cotton and lace grazing the tops of the models' Christian Louboutin cork platform sandals. Next came tailoring in vibrant paisleys or linen, dressed up with eyelet not only on the bell sleeves of jackets but also on some trousers. If it sounds rich, there were actually quite a lot fewer embellishments than usual. The real stars of the show were the triple crepe dresses in rich jewel tones, from a swingy midi-length halter dress in jade to an amethyst maxi with elaborate openwork on its sleeves. From the way that his haute couture-collecting fan Tatiana Sorokko clapped at the end, it was obvious that she, for one, was looking forward to getting in touch with her boho side.
