The Tamesis
Anyone who wants to understand how Parisian women have built their wardrobes over time need look no further than Véronique Leroy. With over thirty years of experience in the independent industry, the Belgian designer specializes in creating timeless pieces with lasting character. Her loyal fans will be happy to venture away from the usual shopping arteries to the quiet, bright studio next to Père Lachaise Cemetery.
“Customers from France, Belgium and elsewhere know that the products here will match what they already have and that we will adapt it for them,” the designer said during a recent visit. “Often, they also rediscover and rewear items in their wardrobe. I like the idea of keeping an item of clothing for a long time, forgetting about it, and then finding it again.”
A champion of slow fashion from the beginning—perhaps picked up from her days working for Azzedine Alaïa—Leroy developed her fall collection primarily using two seemingly opposite materials: Japanese silk polyester taffeta and heavy wool felt, in a “wartime ’40s” palette of dove grey, plum and black, enlivened by pops of red or orange. Holding up a sleeveless top, Leroy explained that she chose taffeta because of its sculptural quality, which allows the wearer to complete the piece by draping it and adjusting its volume to their liking. “I like the idea that a garment isn’t complete until it’s been worn,” she notes, describing the pairing of taffeta with felted wool as a “confrontation” rather than a contrast. In the season when power shoulders are in vogue, a coat with square shoulders and dropped shoulders looks powerful without being too ostentatious. Pants are cut to sit just at the waist or have a loose hem. Thick knits made with multi-colored yarns, such as rich chocolate and royal blue, look slightly haphazard rather than matched, sometimes with a gathered effect to mimic the drape of the fabric.
As bold shapes call for statement jewellery, the designers presented voluminous, organic-looking pieces in hand-carved aluminum, a continuation of last season’s experiments with wood. This pair of earrings looks particularly striking, and luckily they are lighter than they look.
