Until recently, women in Paris seemed conflicted about leggings. In black with an oversize shirt or blousy dress, sure; as actual pants, bien sur que non. Isabel Marant is as attuned as any French designer to how locals live, so it would make sense that she has noticed the recent shift from viewing fitness as a secret obligation to a point of pride; which, in turn, might explain how ruched sport tights play such a key role in her Pre-Fall looks.
Thankfully, the collection is not an exercise in Parisian athleisure. Instead, it proposes an appealing push and pull between polished and relaxed. This is most obvious in the way that a men’s herringbone blazer may appear paired with a lustrous second-skin pant, or how a field jacket features a belt that encircles from within to create a feminine silhouette. Floral fabrics that nod to old wallpaper suggest country; a papery tunic with curve-enhancing stitching unmistakably suggests town. The overlap—see the unexpectedly summery, down-filled fisherman’s vest in a dainty floral, for example—is where Marant shows her originality; it’s unlikely women have something comparable in their existing wardrobes. Same goes for the quilted duster coat with contrast piping, as though it were remade from a mattress pad. If a similar softness plays out elsewhere with undulating hems, rounded sleeves, dimensional trims, and Victorian touches, the styling is consistent with Marant’s insouciant attitude.
In a Paris showroom, where Marant presented the offering back in January (like a few other brands, she opted to wait until closer to the clothes’ arrival in stores), she reiterated the challenge of designing wintry clothes that arrive in June. “I’m really trying to show a seasonless collection with fresh and bright colors,” she said, noting the importance of not overthinking things. “It’s something that comes from inside me; it’s intuitive in a way that’s hard to explain.” Which brings us back to the leggings. Marant says she’s never been much of a hosiery gal, whereas these offer “a layering base.” Shown in blue suede or blush jersey with sandals, they’re hardly fitness attire. Yet like some of the clingy wraparound dresses—and as a counterpoint to her signature slouchy sweaters—they signal that those wearing them are in fine form.
