I actually really like what Sebastien Meunier is doing at Ann Demeulemeester. He’s found a nice groove at the brand, balancing Ann’s dark, gothy vision with something wholly more romantic – helped by the fact that he doesn’t throw about completely new ideas each season, choosing instead a slow, deliberate evolution of his signature as a designer. And SS18 felt like that – a continuation, playing off the ideas found in his previous womenswear outing. Hate the word “dandy” but it sort of works here – this kind of louche, poetic take on dressing, teetering somewhere between masculine and feminine.
Dishevelled black suiting was worn with giant flowers around the neck, Baudelaire-style shirting was left open down the front, as if whipped open, whilst sheer, spidery sleeveless tops were layered over jersey, or worn with nothing at all. Silky, pyjama jackets added a nice volume, and there was more strong outerwear in the cinched leather trenches, topstitched around the edges. Sebastien still mostly works in black, but here there were also welcome shots of colour – coral and red velvet made for some brilliant suits, and a closing section in optic white felt persuasive. It’s good stuff that, to coin a cliche, feels very now.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
