Roundness meets purity
Christophe Josse chose to stage his collection in the futuristic setting of the Abraxas spaces designed by Ricardo Bofill in Noisy le Grand. “This season, my hands are willing, eager to make, to perfect, without ever constraining. What interests me is the false purity. Haute couture is not a debauchery of glitter. It’s something accomplished and desirable that makes you want to reach out and grab it”, he explains. It’s a story of lines, materials, a tactile alchemy, teeming with contrasts – like these rope sandals highlighted with gold ringed medallions, or these belt buckles with blown glass drops. A dozen silhouettes for a contemporary collection that is also reminiscent of “a diffuse past”. There are wool crepes, astrakhan furs made with mohair and cashmere, on a faille aviator jacket punctuated with a large collar, an ivory jersey suit, inlaid with old lace, very graphic. A little is everything.
“Through the work of the ateliers, I perceive a know-how that is transformed in gestures. I like the way the artisans appropriate the garment, saying “this is my dress”. I like the way the premiere d’atelier puts her hands on a leather satin and preserves the voluptuousness of a texture. It takes time”, he continues. This slightly “greasy” aspect is not a fabric that is crushed with an iron, it is something that is put inside the organza “to give it roundness”. A work of construction that is indescribable to the eye, but is “tactile” and which becomes sensual, undulating, and which brings a life. “The intelligence of the hand moves me. It’s beyond expertise, there’s a heart that beats in the desire to draw the story up.”
