Lemaire makes clothes light as a feather while Hed Mayner plays with volumes at Paris Fashion Week

The second day of Paris Fashion Week presented subtly renewed menswear on Wednesday. Brands played with proportions and volumes, seen with Lemaire and Hed Mayner. Lemaire, led by Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran, made clothes light as a feather with a delicate lineup, while Hed Mayner, founded by the eponymous designer, played with volumes.

At the Lemaire show, time was suspended as models seemed to be waiting for a ghostly train at a station. They mingled with the audience in the beautiful hall of the Musée des Arts et Métiers, complete with wooden windows and ceiling and mosaic floor and accompanied live by Californian singer and guitarist Ana Roxanne. The models walked through the space unnoticed, stopped to look out the window, or leaned against a wall to daydream, dive into a book, draw, or chat passionately with a group of friends. Lovers held hands in a corner while an exhausted traveler fell asleep on a bench.

Designers Lemaire and Tran were inspired by romantic and nostalgic poetry to revisit their key pieces such as trench coats, pleated pants and loose-fitting shirts. The garments were light, never bulky, delicately enveloping the wearers, with silk/nylon or viscose dresses that looked great when wrinkled. Suits in silk mixed with metallic thread held the fabric’s pleats.

"We tried to make the garment as light as possible. To reinforce this feeling, we worked a lot on the idea of parachute with light cotton clothing", said Tran. The poplin or seersucker garments expanded or, on the contrary, contracted, through ribbons of the same fabric knotted at the waist or ankles. Another of this season’s novelties were cotton pajama sets featuring fine stripes with long tunics paired with pants that look like sleeves, ending at the foot with classic shirt cuffs.

The monochromatic looks were rendered in a natural color palette, as if sun-kissed, and offered bursts of freshness with baby pinks and sky blues. Tropical flowers appeared on certain pieces, as well as raw art drawings by Noviadi Angkasapura, an artist from New Guinea.

The same minimalist spirit reappeared in natural tones at Hed Mayner, but in a completely opposite register, whether in thicker, more solid textures or oversized volumes. As always, the Israeli designer draws his inspiration from the world of workwear to create a protective and functional unisex wardrobe, replete with oversized pockets. This time around, he explored new constructions that left garments completely backless.

Trench coats were completely open at the back and tied with a ribbon, like an apron, while a chunky knit sweater appeared normal from the front but was open from the back. T-shirts also revealed the lower back area. Even classic blazers were simply hanging from the neck by the collar, while sleeves dropped down to leave shoulders exposed.

Hed Mayner also gave pride of place to upcycling. The designer found old-fashion linens in the markets of Tel Aviv and in Parisian retailers. He cut out sheets, tablecloths and other fabrics in embroidered linen and white cotton and inserted them into his pieces to create breezy garments with a vintage flavor. An embroidered pillowcase became a beautiful square top, and doilies were delicately placed on shoulders or bordering shorts, shirts, pants and tunics, like slips and petticoats.

As for the rest of the collection, bomber jackets and extra wide pants played with volumes and shapes, such as a denim jacket-pant set and a military anorak worn with zouave pants.

Lemaire makes clothes light as a feather while Hed Mayner plays with volumes at Paris Fashion Week

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