For Fall 2016, Cédric Charlier did what a lot of people do in times of introspection: He looked to the ocean. “I tried to imagine a girl from the seaside embarking on an urban lifestyle,” explained Charlier’s show notes, and so she came to shore in peacoats with front pieces that fit together like jigsaw puzzles and trim sailor pants with all the usual buttons; well-cut little jackets layered over blouses with hems askew; and wide, boyish trousers. The color palette was mostly, as expected, navy and cream, though a long-sleeved knit dress in marigold that hit romantically mid-calf was a good exception. (A top and trouser in the same vibrant tone was not.)
The Breton stripe is a perennial fashion favorite—blame Coco Chanel. It does not require reinvention, or really much revisiting, as was the case with a few looks here. Where Charlier did his best work was with clever understatement: trousers with an inverse tuxedo stripe along the inseam in yellow or red, a simple navy peacoat with a bright yellow back, or a navy shearling coat painted over with a white grid and trimmed at the collar in white, the cuffs in black. (The cropped version in red and navy was similarly appealing.) Sometimes you don't have to go too far out to sea to catch the drift.
