The Tamesis
Before we talk about the looks, it’s worth mentioning that the latest Gauchere collection is experienced differently than in these photos, taken near Rue de Rivoli. Designer Marie-Christine Statz hosted several mini-shows in the main rooms of her brand’s headquarters and studio, inviting creative friends and personal muses to join the models. Most of them walk deliberately, but a few either pause on their lounge chairs or examine themselves in the mirror—movements and gestures that create a voyeuristic frisson—while part of the soundtrack consists of syncopated laughter (joyful or unhinged?) and the refrain, “I guess you must have been there, too.” Well, yes.
However, Statz focuses on sleek, sophisticated silhouettes that can be worn anywhere. The season’s duality stems from an exploration of “mass and void,” as she describes it, which can be interpreted as a version of revelation and concealment. Perhaps unintentionally, but inevitably, this introduces male-female interplay. Handsome oversized coats, tailored faux leather shirts and trousers, and roomy biker jackets are balanced by asymmetrical draped twist tops, shift skirts, and dramatic black plunging V-neck bodices. The constant push-pull sensation between crisp and liquid-like fabrics is noteworthy, primarily because of the direct impact it has on how the garment interacts with the body. “You still want to be sporty and sexy,” she said.
Backstage at Gauchere, Parisian multi-hyphenate creator Marie-Victoire de Bascher awaited two looks and expressed her love for the tobacco-colored coats she modeled. “It allows you to maintain your posture easily,” she says.
Staats notes how the women around her are a constant source of inspiration for her, while also observing how women in the city dress. Of course, she also confirmed that she also designed it according to her own personal style. “You definitely have a relationship with the clothes you wear and create, but you always want to evolve,” she said. Sometimes, evolving just means having one piece—whether it’s a limestone funnel-neck top or a sleeveless trench coat—that becomes a loyal constant as other elements of your wardrobe evolve.
