Before her show, staged under the arcades on the Rue de Rivoli, where her studio is located, Marie-Christine Statz made a comment about the state of the world that pretty much says it all: “We’re waiting for a point where we can count on something.”
So much has changed in the past two years, she added, that her twin inspirations were simply intuition and the zeitgeist. “There’s an energy coming back, but for me it’s no longer about looking to the future, but looking at what’s happening right now—it’s all we have,” she said.
In less than 10 years, Gauchere has developed a loyal following for its chic, minimalist aesthetic. Building on that, Statz stuck to a restrained, mostly monochrome palette of black, deep blue, burgundy, anthracite and taupe to further explore what the brand stands for: tailoring and materials, plus a savvy dose of texture that’s clean, unfussy and interesting.
Her opening look, for example, was a halter top that can be worn hooked over a shoulder or left long, an idea that returned on a faux minimalist, layered dress. Oversized suiting with slightly sloped shoulders nodded to budding interest in the brand among men, and was shown paired with bandeaux and fluid, high-waisted trousers. Three-dimensional fabrics brought the texture, for example fuzzy tech yarns. Patent leather gave a jean-style jacket gloss. Denim was chosen for its new-gen, water-wise washes.
Gradient prints on silk twill, in sunset colors or in khaki to black, offered a metaphor for the particular blurriness of this moment, when one day seeps into the next and we can no longer recall exactly whether something happened yesterday, last week, or last season. Sculptural evening dresses—like a trio of black gowns or fully sequined minidress in black or white—made the case for less is more, today and many moons from now.
But her own account, Statz “doesn’t do crazy.” In times like these, that’s a considerable advantage, and one that her growing base is grateful to count on.
