For resort, Coperni’s Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant were in a fantasy kind of mood. “Sébastien had this idea of a superhero, so he added some capes in the back,” Vaillant explained during a Zoom from the duo’s Parisian home. “He wanted to empower women with this detail that actually, when you wear it, is pretty minimal.”
Beyond their penchant for catsuits, it may seem incongruous to think of superheroes as minimal, but that is indeed the vision for the newest collection. Luckily for Coperni’s customers, the designers pushed their vision beyond the opening look, a catsuit (obviously) with an asymmetrical detail at the chest, a little cape flying in the wind, and boots designed with their own zip flies, belt loops, and belts. The best execution of the cape idea came on a pair of apron-like shift dresses, one black and another in a classic glen plaid. “The construction for this, if you hold it up, it’s just a superlong dress with a round hole for the head,” Vaillant shared, laughing. “I love it because it’s super minimal, a little Calvin Klein.” A long-sleeve shift dress with a jacket collar made in the same two fabrics also captured a chic ’90s minimalist feel.
The superhero theme continued in a series of comic-book-print pieces that told the story of—what else?—Coperni itself. “It’s inspired by big moments for the company,” Vaillant shared. “You have the meteor bag falling on the earth, and then you have [scenes] from our previous shows: the robots, the wolf and the lamb, Bella [Hadid] being sprayed, the cars during the pandemic….” It’s an IYKYK print that will surely become a must-have for Coperni fans, especially on the knit twinset they paired with a black knee-length skirt with a cutout at the hip.
While the label is known for its cutouts and going-out tops and party dresses, they do make pieces suited for more professional environments without losing that joie de vivre, such as the low-slung slim trousers (with a detachable cape) worn with a slinky button-down shirt or the royal blue suit with a trompe l’oeil collar detail and slim pin-tucked trousers. In the look book, the model is carrying an extra-large version of Coperni’s popular Swipe bag in croc-stamped leather. Big enough to fit a small child, it’s proof that Meyer and Vaillant understand that the number one need of superhero women everywhere is a really big bag that fits the universe inside it.
Elsewhere the duo scanned a variety of busy-life necessities—like wallets with keys inside, headphones (with a cord, the way the cool girls like to wear them), and lighters—and printed them on a leather bomber jacket. It was a nod to superheroes’ X-ray vision and another fun piece to have.
