In an ethereal white gown and spiked cuff bracelets, Kylie Jenner dressed the part for Acne Studios’ Wednesday night show, a celebration of ten years in Paris.
Designer Jonny Johansson outfitted a salle in the Palais de Tokyo in fluffy pink carpet and reams of pink satin, with plush mattresses for seating (or lounging, since the show started nearly an hour late). There was an avant-harp band, amazing pearl and shell candelabras were flickering, and cute young lads dressed in white chef jackets, shorts, Swedish clogs and gold tinsel knee socks were serving up sugary sweet cocktails.
It was fabulously tacky.
The clothing seemed to want to walk that line as well, with enough corsages, lace, hearts and bows to outfit an entire ’80s wedding.
Johannson showed draped, peekaboo sheer lace gowns and tops, minidresses with puffy hearts trapped in tulle or in jersey ruched into a single heart at the chest; grungy knit sets with stiff, bouncing hems; blazers with cutaway rosette bra tops, even a set of pink satin bow pasties.
The sweet was juxtaposed with the studded, including distressed leather coats and pants with such menacing spikes one had to wonder how it was possible to sit. Squared-off sandal-boots were also weaponized, giving the overall impression of come hither, stay the hell away.
Although there were a few denim pieces sprinkled in — a black denim all-in-one with a waistband as strapless neckline looked chic, as did low-slung jeans with extra scrunch down the legs and over high heels, worn with an ethereal sheer black tulle gown with folds that hinted at panniers — overall this seemed like a missed opportunity to highlight more of the commercial, quirky-cool casualwear that has been the brand’s foundation for all these years.
Sure, there was a certain childlike naivete, but even that has to be well executed, and not all of this was.
