Sébastien Meunier injected extra melancholy into the already wanly pensive Ann Demeulemeester template today by shrouding a large proportion of his usually less masculine looks in starched lace veils. “This is a very romantic girl who mixes all her lace and old garments,” said Meunier backstage. “She wants to go and party, but in a different mood.” As Nico sang “All Tomorrow’s Parties” in a tone that suggested she expected never to party again, Meunier’s artfully unraveled hedonists walked in a strongly concocted mix of 19th-century clerical attire and 19th-century bedlam attire, with all the requisite feathers and straps fluttering from cuffs and hems. Boots, jackets, waistcoats, and more were (as per usual) often fastened at the back: Panne velvet coats and pants in aubergine and deep marine green, plus some very diluted pastel laces and silks, injected a welcome counterpoint to the staple monochromatic palette. This label aims to dress a woman who likes to semaphore her complicatedness through her clothes, and this season it presented a compelling uniform for mooching. Whether she’d be a laugh at a party or spend the night chain-smoking Marlboro Reds angrily while pressuring the DJ to play Bauhaus, The Smiths, and more Nico is, however, debatable.
