Inès de la Fressange is playing personal shopper.
“The brand doesn’t aim to revolutionize fashion history, but to guide women to create the perfect wardrobe in the mass of clothes that is offered nowadays,” the model-turned-designer said. “I’m against excessive consumerism: it’s better to have less, but better. I’m here to help women choose their basics.”
She backed up her words with a collection of classics, like an oversize belted wool coat, black silk shirts, plaid jackets and high-waisted corduroy pants. It was both aspirational and wearable, the wardrobe of the perfect Parisienne driven by well-cut basics and fuss-free looks.
Gone were the puzzling rumpled linen looks of the previous season: The silhouettes had both daytime options, such as denim midi skirts with a curved hem or a short parka with a drawstring-waist, and an evening looks, like a long black square-necked evening dress and a velvet jacket with a passementerie clasp.
The brand is gearing up to launch its first fragrance, set to debut on May 26, Mother’s Day in France. It will depart from the rather classic notes of the scented candles already produced by the brand — cedar, tuberose and cardamom — to create “something a bit original, that really reflects Inès’ taste,” said Fabrice Boé, chief executive officer of the brand. The label is also in talks to extend its distribution in China and has introduced new colors for its line of leather goods, including its popular rectangular Marcia bag.