A full-circle second in plain sight. The 15th anniversary present that Jacquemus staged in Capri — which drew an elite group of friends led by Gwyneth Paltrow, Dua Lipa and model-of-the-day Jennie Kim underneath the boiling Mediterranean solar — was an illustration of trend pressure blended with foreseeable emotion and a touch of novelty for founder Simon Porte Jacquemus.
It might have been a showy occasion or one drenched in nostalgia given the milestone, but with its extra intimate dimension, it struck the best stability between the designer’s signature cinematic staging, VIP checklist and trend quotient, which constructed on the extra upscale route Jacquemus is taking and pointed the best way ahead for the model. Very similar to the arrow form of the venue, which — let’s be trustworthy — might have made the present value it alone.
Securing the modernist Italian villa Casa Malaparte — an architectural marvel closed to most, sitting on a clifftop of one of many world’s prettiest islands — was an effective way to cement Jacquemus’ credibility and place him subsequent to luxurious manufacturers which have tried to stage runway occasions there up to now. It was a matter of authenticity, too: Jacquemus selected the pink constructing in tribute to considered one of his favourite motion pictures, “Le Mépris” (“Contempt”) by Jean-Luc Godard, whose aesthetics impressed the designer’s trend imaginative and prescient 15 years in the past.
Assembly press forward of the present within the former studio of Curzio Malaparte himself, Jacquemus recalled the emotion of being invited to dinner by the household of the late journalist, author and diplomat after years of dreaming to see the residence inside. “I used to be afraid after I arrived on the home as a result of magnificence may be very harmful, you don’t need to play with it in a means, since you love one thing a lot that it’s so pure,” he mentioned.
That is additionally why his preliminary concept of making a “very couture present” for the anniversary changed into a smaller gathering out of respect for the situation. “I didn’t need to do a present, I needed to do a group on the home. And [the family said] nobody ever proposed that. They mentioned ‘no’ to many individuals as a result of they don’t need to use the home simply as a present venue.”
The flashiest nod to the constructing was a print impressed by the tiled flooring of its inside, however it was the charming palette of vibrant sky blue, pink, shades of yellow and shiny sage and the overarching graphic strategy to the lineup that finally stood out. Jacquemus needed to embrace a “Mediterranean vibe in a really pure means” as he’s more and more deep diving into minimal silhouettes and veering towards extra upscale materials — like leather-based and suede — to telegraph a give attention to craftsmanship and general model elevation.
The present opened with a tribute to Brigitte Bardot’s character within the Godard film by way of a fuzzy canary yellow coat mimicking a toweling gown and closed with Jennie Kim offering the Instagram buzz of the day by modeling a black gown with a full skirt and revealing again.
In between, the see-now-buy-now fall 2024 assortment alternated the structured textures and sharp strains of clothes and coats with ample portrait collars, A-line skirts and stiff frocks with flounced tops, sheer mousseline lengthy skirts and the fluid draping of sensual jersey clothes lower out within the again or on the edges to disclose legs, thigh bones and extra.
An occasional zebra sample popped up on coats and pencil skirts, telegraphing a extra bourgeois vibe, whereas in menswear the identical print heightened the marginally extra playful spirit Jacquemus embraced by way of mariniere motifs and below-the-knee pleated pants. (But the designer’s personal go-to alternative can be look 36, with its cropped jacket and streamlined pants that give him a “‘90s Armani vibe — and I really like Mr. Armani a lot.”)
Pinned to the Jacquemus temper board, photos of Capri’s queen of favor Jackie Kennedy additional pointed to an ease of dressing that doen’t compromise on glamour. “Along with her capri pants and sailor blouses, I discovered her so refreshing, I wanted to look again at simplicity,” mentioned Jacquemus. Just a few photos to the best, a portrait of Paltrow popped up “as a result of immediately who can be that type of girl? I feel it’s actually Gwyneth,” he mentioned of the actress.
Following within the footsteps of the likes of Julia Roberts and Kristin Davis, who have been on the model’s “Le Sculpture” present in January, it’s clear Paltrow’s attendance mirrors the extra mature viewers Jacquemus is welcoming into its world. The designer confirmed the earlier present marked a giant shift sales-wise too, as the corporate by no means bought as a lot ready-to-wear because it did with the spring 2024 assortment.
“Now we’re lastly embracing the luxurious buyer. It’s what I would like and it’ll take time,” mentioned Jacquemus. “It’s been 15 years however I’m nonetheless a youngster model. I’m so conscious that I’ve a lot craftsmanship to acknowledge… I’m so respectful of the savoir-faire throughout [luxury] however I’m working laborious.
“After I was youthful I used to be simply attempting to do a brand new factor, now I’m pondering of the model’s longevity,” he continued, pointing to just lately changing into a father as an element additional sparking his long-term imaginative and prescient. “However I don’t need to turn out to be like different [brands] both, I need to preserve who we’re, preserve the honesty… My proudest second of the previous 15 years was to have the ability to develop and be very conscious of what are my forces. I do know precisely what I’m doing. Now I would like folks to know that I work for the long run and never for a great verify, that’s not my precedence,” he concluded.