The idyll between lace and streetwear (see our “ Sportswear!” post in November 2015) intensified during the Autumn-Winter 2016/2017 Fashion Week in Paris: the skills used were more Couture-oriented than ever (noble fabrics, rigorous cuts …) and the designs clearly inspired by the street. Versatile, timeless lace had already lent itself to this game of contrasts in the New York shows where Alexander Wang created a shock effect by playing up trashy codes that transcended his delicate tops and dresses woven on Leavers looms …
In Paris, the young label Koché, sponsored by Sophie Hallette, dedicated itself to this trend and earned kudos for designer Christelle Kocher, a Central Saint Martins graduate. “You know immediately when a show will define its era” began Madame Figaro’s report on this show that had no chairs or seating hierarchy. The no-fuss presentation took place amidst African hair salons, small shops and local gawkers in the Strasbourg-Saint Denis neighborhood. On the program: raw energy, surprising freshness and an enthusiastic reception reminiscent of the early shows of Gaultier, Margiela or Dries Van Noten … A lace shirt, sexy nighty, guipure lace parka and resin/Chantilly lace collages followed one another down the runway. This is “everything we like” said Grazia magazine about Kocher’s unisex patchworks loaded with real-life references that were transcended by imaginative colors, reinvented proportions and clever cuts.
We’ll certainly be talking about Koché next season. And couture. And lace. And streetwear!
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Photo credits: Koché
