That Isabel Marant—the designer—sort of let her 30th anniversary slide under the radar speaks volumes about how she feels about the passage of time. In past seasons, her reply to queries about a celebration has been, more or less: oui, mais non.
As perhaps the most French-girl designer of her generation, Marant prefers to stick to her home base, making her clients—and not herself—the center of attention.
“It’s about the classics,” offered Kim Bekker, the designer’s right hand and artistic director, during a visit to the light-filled showroom on the Place des Victoires, where seemingly rough-hewn sculpted stools and geometric track lighting accentuated racks brimming with equally authentic, true-blue Parisian duds.
After three decades, the brand has its recipe down pat. For men, non-washed indigo denim (a first) kept company with weathered, earthy staples in khaki, écru, and rust; brushed mohair sweaters with the season’s key jagged Fair Isle motif, a dash of tailoring, an essential biker jacket, a puffer.
“He’s always traveling, so he needs big pockets,” Bekker offered of this season’s tweaks. “Our guy’s a bit more artistic, he’s rock-ish, he’s always on the move. It’s like, cool and very French with a little bit of preppy.”
Though less eclectic than in past seasons, the fall outing hit all the notes one would expect of Marant’s “Ibiza by way of Paris” sensibility, from tonal bohemian embroideries to patinated leathers, washed finishes, and spray-paint-like touches. Simple, lived-in and straight to the point. It’s the wearer’s attitude that will make or break it.
