Flowers and romance have emerged as major themes at the Spring Haute Couture shows. Not for Bouchra Jarrar. She's not averse to seduction, but she does have a serious sensibility—urban, unfussy, even (that dreaded word) practical, but all the while chic.
Now in her seventh season on the Couture runway, Jarrar has established her codes. She favors pants and cuts some of the best we've seen anywhere. This season she showed them tapered and cropped in a gorgeous shade of midnight blue. She also loves a bit of drama on top—"envelopée," she calls it—and achieves it by draping the neck with fox fur, tweedy bouclé, or Shetland wool. Sometimes the swaths of fur, held in place with strappy black patent leather harnesses, stand in for tops—that's where the seduction comes in.
Jarrar's coats are cut as precise as her pants. An oversize black and white houndstooth vied for best in show with a belted ivory number with big brass buttons. Both had a high-fashion quotient without looking trendy, a boon to customers even in the rarified world of couture.
For news, there was a stripey marinière sweater, noteworthy for its casual attitude, and a matching snood. To keep growing her business, Jarrar should continue to broaden her repertoire. It's Couture week, after all—bring on more gowns.
