Whitewall is in Paris covering the latest collections presented by Cyclas, Gauchère, and Equipment.
For the new Cyclas collection, designer Keiko Onose was inspired by the beauty in the unexpected—the converging of opposing ideas. The Cyclas lady is wise and confident, and it’s seen in deconstruction methods, the usage of opposing colors, and in the masculine-meets-feminine silhouettes. In the collection, an array of soft and warm hues are seen, like light khaki and beige, in two-fold and cashmere fleece. Furry alpaca silk is paired with a glimmer of fluorescent lime green, winter lemon, and cool pastels, enlivened by a palette seemingly borrowed from Gerhard Richter. Flats, mules, and heels in matching colors of soft leather and shearling are seen in the collection, as well as silver paillettes.
Gauchère—the French prêt-à-porter house established in 2012 by Marie-Christine Statz— creates clothes that call attention to the individual. For the Fall/Winter 2019 collection, Statz took inspiration from minimal art, and paying attention to people, space, nature, light, and materials. The principals behind the collection are fundamental structures and how they speak to a feeling of request and quality. The wait is highlighted in various ways, like by having curiously large shoulders, by tucking coats into creased skirts, and by reimagining the state of a straight coat with a belted waist. Light fleeces, gleaming ultra-thin calfskin, stretchy techno textures, and water-repellent outerwear cottons are the key textures for the new collection.
Founded in 1976 as a French shirting brand, Equipment demonstrated its sophomore season as a full ready‐to‐wear line. This season’s story starts with rich hues, like pre-winter leaves against the dim tones of a urban scene, which provides a day-to-night palette—from dawn to dusk, from Central Park to the Bowery. Animal prints, geometric shapes, plaids, and pinstripes give an urban innovation feel, while luxury jacquards, tweeds, and silks hoist strong textures with a genuine Parisian feel of straightforwardness. European femininity continues to characterize the Equipment lady—a true woman of direction—as she ends up in New York City.
