Carmen March relaunched her namesake label after a long hiatus, during which she oversaw design for the Spanish label Pedro del Hierro Madrid. She showed the collection to buyers including Net-a-Porter during the pre-collection period—something that seems to be an increasingly common practice among independent designers. Thus, her low-key presentation in Paris this week mostly served to let the world know that she is, in fact, back. But enough time has passed—roughly six years—that her return needs to be focused on identifying how she can contribute to a market that’s more saturated with accessible luxury than ever. “I kept trying to get back to the idea of beauty,” said March.
A first impression of three models would suggest she got there. Closer up revealed how. Because her silhouettes come dangerously close to the body, she employs draping and rigid ruffles as decoys. “You can eat and breathe in this,” March said of a yellow moiré silk bustier that hit just above the waist and was supported without boning. (Narrow pleated pants take care of the rest). She took advantage of local Spanish leather to produce a must-have mini and slightly shrunken jacket. Fabrics that might read as suede, velvet, or even plaster in photographs are actually all silk and linen—just blended in varying proportions. She used the black version to arrive at the collection’s defining piece: a head-turning, draped LBD enhanced by a structured off-shoulder décolleté slit at one arm. The highly suggestive colorless tulle jumpsuit patterned with hand-painted white brush showed off her couture skills combined with controlled glamour. March may or may not be able to ride her ruffle theme for several seasons, given its ubiquity elsewhere. But she wouldn’t have reentered the fray if she didn’t have more ideas up her sleeve.
