With its retro electronics, striped chaise longues, sepia-tinged fashion photos, and a snail's coiled shell, Carven's Pre-Fall mood board suggested a desire to dial things back. Nostalgia aside, who, in the age of the Apple Watch and wearable tech, wouldn't chuckle upon seeing lo-fi symbols as street-style bait? In the absence of Guillaume Henry, who has moved on to Nina Ricci, the Carven studio proved clever in the realm of construction as well, offsetting hemlines, shirt collars, and jacquard patterning so details that could easily have looked askew somehow ended up on point. Like the op art examples also tacked onto the mood board, panels of striped poplin shirting and wool suiting veered diagonally at times. Purists might find this dizzying, but if you're searching for an excuse to add another men's shirt to your wardrobe, you've got one.
Indeed, the menswear thrust stood out as the most noticeable shift for a line that has reveled in its gamine-ness. Even city shorts threatened to outnumber the miniskirts. But then certain codes—the sweetheart neckline, the lace inserts—brought familiarity to seersucker and flannel, and the balance felt once again restored. The smartest move here was the focus on outerwear. The new selection includes a sporty sartorial bomber in Prince of Wales check; classic wool coats, either bicolored or printed with painterly stripes; and elongated gilets. Sentimentalists will be pleased to find a pink coat (a Henry signature), this one slightly dustier and in boiled wool. A welcome rewind before the brand fast-forwards.
