The appointments for Isabel Marant’s main line and her Étoile collection always take place back-to-back, which means that she is invariably describing one by way of the other. “Much chicer, much more dressed,” she said of her main line. No surprise there. But this latest collection offered up some light and lively aspects too. The central motif, for instance, looked like scribbles created with colored markers—playfully artistic and nonfigurative. Marant often likes a flash of metallic, and this season’s silver blouses and boots made sure to signal ’80s rock-star glam. Thanks in part to the angular shapes of shoulders and high-waist jeans, looks gave off legit attitude; they didn’t necessarily read new, but read just right.
There was something noticeably right, as well, about the choice of model—her androgynous presentation and seductive body language. Whether in the buttery yellow leather dress and lace tights or a turtleneck and rolled jeans, she was transmitting the type of directness that would speak to those who have always appreciated Marant’s nongirly spin on the Parisienne.
It’s worth mentioning that when Marant speaks of dressed, she doesn’t mean dressed up (the stretch-velour one-shoulder dress outlined in strass notwithstanding). Much of this lineup—a long denim jacket lined with faux-rabbit fur, the draped floral dresses, the suits, and obviously those lipstick red boots—consisted of statement pieces that, with little additional effort, could become a complete look. In the end, this wasn’t a paradigm-shifting collection (it didn’t need to be), but it was loaded with references that are uniquely the designer’s.
