Roland Mouret has recently opened a New York flagship at 1006 Madison Avenue. Backstage in Paris today he said the process of designing it and filling it with furniture rubbed off on his new collection, specifically in terms of the interplay of textures. His Spring show began with a series of looks boasting highly decorated bodices. In the fashion speak of decades ago, such things used to be called waist-up dressing for the way it drew all eyes to a woman seated at the dinner table. Mouret's 21st-century waist-uppers feature solar plexus cut-outs, asymmetric one-shoulder necklines, and built-in vests in hessian mesh and embroidered neoprene. Many of the models wore long grosgrain ribbons around their necks.
Cut-outs and graphic necklines in the shape of a star, for instance, drew attention upward to the shoulders. But Mouret is also fond of a peplum, and he designed tops with extra material at the hem to look like a jacket tied back-to-front on the waist. There were just as many separates as there were frocks here, which is something new for the guy behind the Galaxy dress, but they’re driving sales, so why not? The silhouette was long and willowy with dresses and skirts ending south of the knee. The other way his New York store affected the lineup could be seen in its newfound sportiness. Among the patchworks and lace insets were a couple of clingy, ribbed knit tube dresses with a solid horizontal stripe across the chest. You’d need a strict workout regimen to slip into one of those beauties, but show us a lady in Mouret’s new zip code who doesn't.
