Isabel Marant Autumn/Winter 2021/22 Paris Fashion Week
Space Nomads, Prairy Dresses and Windbreakers: Isabel Marant Injected Plenty Va-Va-Voom into Some Old Faithfuls.
Video Credit: Isabel Marant
Image Credit: Vogue
Cream knits flatter in this shaggy pompom shoulder ensemble
A concrete parking garage upramp served as catwalk for Marant’s models to strut their stuff to the pumping beat of Eighties’ techno. The snaking concrete of this galactic piece of architecture seemed the perfect backdrop for Marant’s models with their exaggerated shoulders, confident and empowered, to use as their platform into the future. It’s not in the least surprising that designers are focusing on the future, given what the present has presented us with over the past year. Isabel Marant’s, like Rick Owens’ womenswear collection, had more than a futuristic hint to it and uncannily enough, Marant’s signature eclectic look with its sexy nomad dresses, sporty windbreakers and tomboy tailoring took quite a shine to the future.
A red-hot body hugging leather dress with killer cleavage has a futuristic flavour
Sportswear touches in this ensemble
Prairy has never looked so sexy
A futuristic, glossy peplum suit with its Eighties details looks very modern
A paisley shirt and sharply tailored trousers
The collection didn’t come with many earth-shattering surprises, but then Marant has the knack to somehow always be on trend even though she doesn’t tend to design with trends in mind. Her key elements – the boxy jackets, shell suit windbreakers, neatly tailored skinny trousers, puff-sleeved Eighties dresses and embellished belts were all there, but perhaps the ante was upped just a tad. A knitted cream top with fluffy pompom fringing at the shoulders over a lace crocheted wrap skirt, cinched in with an embellished belt introduced a collection that was a curious mix of Eighties-inspired folksy fashion with a touch of the futuristic to it.
A black ankle grazing coat with piping and pompoms with a fringed bag
One of the most wearable looks – a boxy mini coat
Leg of mutton sleeves that were gathered at the shoulder appeared in many of the pieces – some knitted, some not. A raspberry and cream palate made way for a few teal blue pieces before the volume was turned up with a pair of sexy shocking pink leather trousers.
Wrap skirts, shearling jackets, a bit of denim, a predictable offering of black in a coat or pair of trousers, fringing on some of the bags, beaded boho earrings, a bit of shimmer and sequins, some puffer jackets and even a Chanel-esque boxy jacket were all part of the offering.
A standout piece in the collection – sexy and quintessential Isabel Marant!
The standout piece from a collection was kept for last: a very flattering mini dress with exaggerated shoulders and masses of gathers in the sleeves. Its more mature sister, a shoulder padded, gathered sleeved Eighties-style prairie dress in a paisley floral cloth, was similarly charming. The must-have piece (in a very wearable sense) was a collarless cream double breasted boxy jacket worn as a mini coat over a pair of tights for maximum va-va-voom. A teal leg-of-mutton jacket and trouser suit was another winner, as was the blood red chinzy leather dress with a daring cleavage-revealing slit.
An oversized, cinched in puffer coat and ankle boots. Voila!
Glossy leather in a pair of sharply tailored trousers worn with a folksy shirt
Think of the word sprezzatura (loosely translated as effortless nonchalance) and you’ve pretty much nailed Isabel Marant. It’s about getting out of bed, bed-head & all and still looking a million dollars (but a quirky, not a flashy million dollars, mind you). It’s that intangible feel-good factor – with minimum effort – that Isabel Marant is selling. No wonder bohemian It Girls all over the globe are attracted to the brand and the lifestyle it exudes: cocktails in St Barts today and lunch at the Louvre tomorrow.
I’m in. How about you?
