For her resort collection, Isabel Marant worked Eighties vibes into a modern and assertive lineup that oozed sensuality. Volumes were built around the shoulders — some sharp, others pouffe-y — and reined in tightly at the waist.
Hot stirrup pants from last season were back as slender, acid-washed jeans, which she paired with a sharp collared blouse that had billowing shoulders and short, cinched sleeves.
“It’s still laid-back, but much more sophisticated, grown-up,” noted Marant, comparing the collection to her men’s and Étoile lines.
A roomy, double-breasted Prince of Wales suit had low crotch trousers, while an elegant beige trenchcoat was gathered close at the bottom of the rib cage. The colour palette had bold touches, with the designer weaving in bright reds for a dress, in graphic patterns — Alexander Calder and Joan Miró were inspirations for this season’s patterns, noted Marant — and stark emerald green, for a blouse and pants combo.
In contrast, was a white leather dress that had roomy sleeves but was handsomely fitted at the waist. Outerwear ranged from loose jeans jackets with roomy sleeves to a lean, polished ivory overcoat with puffy shoulders, and, in a shorter option, a red boiled wool jacket with prominent buttons.
“It wasn’t easy to do all this,” Marant said from her busy showroom in central Paris. She had designed the collection remotely, from the countryside.
“We did an extraordinary job, putting out something that’s quite complete but also desirable,” she observed.