September 29, 2022 |
Sticky Parisian dancefloors have guided Nicolas di Felice’s vision for Courrèges since joining the brand last year. He’s immersed in the city’s club scene and regularly throws raves after his fashion shows. His vinyl mini-skirts and abbreviated A-line frocks make ideal party garb, showing just the right amount of skin for a night spent on the tiles.
Though for SS23, the Courrèges clubbers stepped out from beneath the strobe lights and made their way to the beach. The set was created by French artist Theo Mercier, and symbolised an hourglass as a curtain of sand fell from the ceiling, forming a whirlpool from beneath. It was a metaphor for the passing of time; of how di Felice looks to Courrèges’ futuristic past to guide his design lexicon but is keen to push the brand’s codes forward.
Their were echoes of Courrèges’ clubwear – popper flared trousers came exposed at the thigh like a mini-skirt hybrid, and leather jackets were equipped with straps so they could be carried like a bag when things get steamy – but this season felt more like the aftermath from the night before. Dresses and bodysuits made of scuba fabric were peeled down to the waist, worn with semi opaque bandeau tops in sunset hues. The designer proposed spiky silicone gilets which resembled coral and sent out a slew of wispy, rouleau-buttoned flou dresses inspired by a 1974 Courrèges design that could unzip in a spiral motion around the form of the wearer.
Walking with their toes in the sand, carrying their slingbacks by hand, it was if the brand’s partygoers had stumbled upon a hidden oasis as they ventured home in the early hours of the morning. Combating a comedown has never looked so good.
Photography courtesy by Courrèges.
