Julie de Libran and the Sonia Rykiel brand are a great match. De Libran has known the label since she was a young girl, and as a Frenchwoman, she connects better with its gamine spirit than the male designer who preceded her in the creative director post. We've said all that before. The other thing this new revival has going for it is the fact that the '70s—Sonia Rykiel's era—are very much in vogue at the current moment. The Left Bank house's archives are no doubt lined with the kind of shearling coats and marabou chubbies that have been turning up in other collections lately. In De Libran's hands, more than anywhere else, they've shed their costume shop associations. And the same goes for her little floral printed dresses and leg-elongating, high-waisted flares, which looked particularly good in denim with a button-fly underneath a loosely belted trench.
The mini show was held at The Jane hotel, with Sophie Auster singing torch songs in English and French in front of the fireplace, and Sofia Coppola and Anna Sui, De Libran's old friends, in the crowd. Knits, a Rykiel signature, were a big focus. De Libran made a strong case for thick, textured tights as well as bodysuit dressing, an idea that really resonated thanks to the chilly temperatures outside. Jumpsuits, which De Libran emphasized at her Spring '15 debut, also got a lot of play. But where they were structured on the Paris runway, here they were softer and slouchier with drawstring waists. It won't take much convincing to get girls into these clothes.
