The Each x Other presentation felt a little like an '80s art happening. Down in the concrete catacombs of the Palais de Tokyo, a violinist played while an arty film of sewing machines unspooled, after which Robert Montgomery's word piece detailing the anomie of the digital world was projected on a screen. Then Audrey Mascina, the erstwhile partner of Jérôme Sans, a founding director of the Palais de Tokyo, appeared onstage to sing those words to a New Wave beat.
There was a strictness and minimalism to the whole thing that not only reflected the joint fashion/art backgrounds of Each x Other's designers, Ilan Delouis and Jenny Mannerheim, but also set up the subsequent parade of clothes quite smartly. "This is a creative wardrobe," said Mannerheim, "the new minimalism. With music, art, and fashion, we're editing out the unnecessary."
The clothes actually came from a place we've visited a few times already this season. The loooooong, lean architectural line of floor-sweeping coats is a trend. So is the repurposing of classics like herringbone and pinstripe. The former appeared as a shift with a deep V-neck. As for the latter, there were moments when it seemed like everything was pinstriped, boots included. Warping the familiar was clearly the mandate. A simple shirt was transfigured with a cape back. Denims were glazed and given a freshly pressed crease. A trenchcoat was extended to that floor length. A fisherman's sweater had it laaaaarge. The mutant aspect was deliberate. "The old heart still loves the idea of real clothes," said Mannerheim. "But we want to be an extension of the android." The archness of such a notion was maybe not the best advertisement for Each x Other, but it did highlight the mechanical rigor of the collection.
