With Paris Fashion Week underway, we’re sharing highlights of the Spring/Summer 2022 collections from Marine Serre, Thebe Magugu, Dries Van Noten, and Koché.
Marine Serre Spring/Summer 2022 collection.
Marine Serre’s collection “Fichu our Fichu,” pieced together from 45 percent recycled material and another 45 percent of regenerated material, yearned for country simplicity. The designs were pretty, but not fussy in the way that everyone’s grandmother had plastic over her couch or threw a quilt made from mismatching floral deadstock fabric over her knees. Looks include gorgeous white cotton sets speckled with embroidered flowers, a denim maxi-dress dyed shades of pink and purple, a navy suit made from ultra-structured material with striking silver hardware, and a colorful textured mini skirt with a matching zip-up jacket and Serre’s signature second-skin boots. Standout looks include a dress collaged from colorful popcorn fabric—a 1990s dream. “The most important thing for me is what people feel…rather than what they think,” Serre said. “I want people to feel the beauty and the simplicity of being together and finding joy in cooking, eating, dancing, yoga. And at the same time recognize that every day we make choices that have an impact, so how can we be more responsible in the decisions we make?”
Thebe Magugu Spring/Summer 2022 collection.
In his latest collection, Thebe Magugu drew from regeneration and memories of his mother Iris and aunt Esther. Magugu’s tendencies to look inward and make his choices particular and intentional paid off. The colors were bright, but completely wearable. A light magenta mini dress with puffed sleeves that cuff just below the wrists was dappled with white and lavender flowers. Magugu also used the tradition of printing iconography on cotton calico, using portraits of his family members against cool shades of purple and blue. Bright oranges with soft coral pinks looked almost painted on sharp pleated skirts. A paisley print, reminiscent of bandanas, were on full display in looks made of button up shirts and pleated skirts with matching exaggerated doeks—one in shades of tropical green, and another in hot pink. Magugu’s Spring/Summer collection commanded attention for its mastered blending of visual artistry with technical and traditional means of dressing.
Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2022.
Sourcing inspiration from the rich colors and euphoria of the Holi festival in India, Dries Van Noten used ultra-saturated colors and mixed textures to embody a dilated vision of life in color. Looks ranged from sweatsuits and tracksuit ornamented in gold and indigo beads or printed with bursts of fireworks, and embossed jacquard trousers and jackets in shining hues of pinks and soft green. Feathered dresses and stringy fringe played with movement while billowing sleeves and smoking, ruching, and plisse lent shapes of their own. Notably, sheer, cottony fabrics were layered under more decadent silks that not only added dimension but also evoked Van Noten’s earlier collections from the mid-1990s. Put simply, Van Noten’s Spring/Summer collection was a celebration.
Koché Spring/Summer 2022 collection, photo by Guillaume Roujas.
Koché’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection was a journey through 1930s glamour, architectural silhouettes, and handmade techniques that answer Virgina Woolf’s question, “How can we combine the old words in new orders so that they survive, so that they create beauty, so that they tell the truth?’ Pastel yellows, pinks, and blues were matched with reimagined basketball shorts, and dressed up with applique and feathers. Standout knit dresses flowed with lacy perforations and canary-yellow feathers at the bottom. Slinky cowl necks introduced the collections shift to deeper navy tones that continued into wrap-style dresses. Solid leggings acted as the perfect backdrops, bold in their own right, for decorative tops to stand out. The collection represented refined tastes, but it’s the comfortable textures we liked—the glittering dresses we might only have the opportunity to wear a handful of times in our lives, and dare to put them together.
