Out of the Blue: Simple Sporty Chic
September 16, 2009 | Levent OZLER
The setting of a boardwalk jutting out over a shallow sea of blue recalls the unforgettable photos of Jacques-Henri Lartigue, who in the 1920s captured a generation of leisure for whom life was simple, sporty and chic. For his Spring/Summer 2010 collection, Creative Director Christophe Lemaire proposes a contemporary twist on those timeless images, with tennis wear reconsidered for streets and beach attire recast as elegant wardrobe separates that float effortlessly from day into night.
The show starts with an homage to tennis whites that Lemaire calls "Matchpoint", with subtle yet strong splashes of emerald green and navy. Women can pick from a range of classics made ultra-modern with Lemaire's signature touch: a fitted tennis dress styled with canvas hi-top tennis sneakers meets sandals with cut-out heel and contrast-coloured piping; a couture-esque tennis skirt with wide quilted waist band and a plethora of poplin pleats worn under a black mini rain cape in nylon with white rope braid piping. Men will find the heavy pique cotton jacket with contrast-coloured piping on the collar and pockets a directional piece, especially when worn over shorts.
Tennis chic then gives way to beach elegance with the "Deauville" theme, punctuated by graphic retro-imaginings of summer staples for women including a thin jersey cardigan or a light linen jacket worn over a one-piece boy's boxer-cut swimsuit. A light cotton safari jacket for men offers the promise of an unstructured and relaxed season.
The show draws to an end with a symphony in shades of blue. For women, a hooded mini shirt dress in chambray is the must-have for a sultry summer night out, while men get a matching minimalistic monotone look: from fedora to jacket, shirt, pants, belt and even slip-on shoes (appropriately dubbed "Plage" or "beach" in lingua Franca), and all in crisp cerulean blue denim.
The finale is a sunburst of fluorescent yellows for colour-coordinated polos swimsuits, shorts, shirts, sunglasses and even mesh sneakers and jellies. All reinforcing the image of simple sporty chic as well as the idea that what rules the runway can work well on the shop rack too.
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