Sébastien Meunier said that for this collection he had decided to focus on a very specific inspiration: “It was about Robert Mapplethorpe in his life at the Chelsea Hotel . . . . We wanted to give homage to this bohème period that was very creative in the ’70s and ’80s in New York.”
It was pretty much the perfect theme for this designer. Those mournful florals that rested under each model’s chin, the “look at my picture” tank top, the sleeveless jean jacket delivered in ridged white linen, and the handsome silk robes and pants worn by some of the older models (as Mapplethorpe himself did in his later years) were all literal references to the photographer. The Meunier-staple strapping, buckling, and a pulled-apartness that saw macs and a beautiful ocher silk corduroy jacket cut open at the back to reveal the wearer’s spine were all more gentle insinuations of kink. There were a great many women’s looks here—more of them than usual, it seemed. Was Demeulemeester going coed on the sly? Not quite.
“It’s a men’s show, but of course we have a women’s pre-collection, too,” explained the designer. “It’s something that we have to present. But I want to present it in a beautiful way for the story—not forced. It is the story of Mapplethorpe and Patti [Smith].” That story was nicely told.
