Isabel Marant didn’t try to force a theme during a walk-through of her Resort offering. Rather, she touched on all the usual pre-collection talking points: the desire for smart transitional pieces, the opportunity to reach a broader customer, the “reflection” of a wardrobe, and so forth. Under other circumstances, this may have come across as uninspired; but after weeks of covering Resort, this reporter greatly appreciated her direct approach. Besides, reinterpreted, covetable basics are Marant’s forte; why try to cast them as anything else? To this extent, the waxed black belted jacket and a slightly longer style in papery metallic leather with a concealed placket were the collection’s hero pieces, followed closely by the two wool topcoats juxtaposed with lighter linen linings, and the stretch tunic dress with flattering front ruching (smartly shown over black pants). Volumes were properly balanced: Just when a pencil skirt or long sweater tunic suggested a downward thrust, a weightless puffer or quilted gilet would keep things lifted.
Marant mused that the floral print splashed across a “pompier” (fireman) jumpsuit and the striped cotton reminded her of bedding—even more so when factoring in the down layers and the crochet trim along the vents of an elongated white shirt. While this enveloping, nesting notion had the makings of a theme, the overall impression was too chicly composed, not quite slouchy enough. At one point, she tossed out the word “spontaneity,” which struck as a suitable alternative to effortless. And really, it’s to her credit that little else needed to be said.
