Apocalyptic alpine athletics were the name of the game at Boris Bidjan Saberi. Wild as that sounds, the collection was fairly compelling—if sometimes overburdened by just how much padding (protection?) the designer suggested.
Saberi has a fascination with winter sports—he has explored ice climbing in the past, and has partnered with the specialist, Salomon, on footwear. Today at the Palais du Tokyo, as fitting a venue as any for emitting a verve of hard, dystopian chill—he focused on skiing and snowboarding. Some models even had said skis and snowboards strapped on with technical backpacks, trekking through the permafrost while wearing their tools over hooded vests and thick strapped coats. In a most obtuse way, this lineup kind of had an anti–Tom Ford James Bond vibe—agents (or villains) of some deeply frozen planet, ready to stylishly take on the foe.
Padded gilets—some in purple, which felt out of place—and XXL knit shrouds added to the wintry mix. While Saberi pretty much stays in his lane, this was a less aggressive effort than usual. It seemed more about safety and self-preservation. Saberi is a stone-cold aesthete but with thawed patches and parts; some of his outerwear looked plenty covetable, come the next arctic blast.
