Where designers in New York were grappling with the current political climate, many in Paris have been yearning for more innocent times, including Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson. His artistic reference point this season was especially telling; he was inspired by the finger puppets that Paul Klee, the renowned Swiss-German artist, made for his son back in the mid-1910s and 1920s. He’s not the first to draw on a homespun naïveté. In fact, a more hand-hewn and imperfect idea of femininity has been percolating in fashion for the last few seasons.
At Acne Studios, it played out with long deconstructed linen dresses in earth tones that were cut along a skewed asymmetric line. That intentional off-kilter aesthetic came off a little derivative at times, though it had a fresher feeling when it was spliced with more optimistic floral prints. Johansson has always enjoyed experimenting with proportions, often testing the limits of the body with blown-up, extra-big silhouettes. He toyed with the conventions of tailoring this time around, another big theme of the season, and pinstriped blazers were turned back-to-front and extended to the floor. It was the more whimsical takes on executive realness, however, that hit the mark here, including a cropped floral jacket that was layered over crinkly pants, and a tunic in a matching fabric. The designer tends to have big ideas in the accessories department as well, and the irregular hoop earrings, which were made from clay and came dangling with charms, were a nice update on the brutalist jewelry trend and had a cool gallery-girl vibe to them.
Though Acne Studios often looks to the rarefied world of art for direction, the roots of the brand are in the street and started with denim. The closest thing to jeans on the runway today, however, was a pair of indigo blue and white striped pants. Now that the high fashion hoodie has reached saturation point, the move towards a more grown-up aesthetic is surely a sign of the times, one that is also resonating with formerly denim-centric brands such as Off-White and Marques' Almeida. Taken apart, there were pieces that had an uncomplicated, playful appeal—geometric tinted sunglasses and cozy sweaters with polka dots that were streaming with thread—just the kind of cheery pick-me-ups we can all use in dark times.
