What a difference a season can make. After a convincing if reverential first effort, Stefano Gallici showed more true colors and at the same time was respectful of the fashion house that he now heads, after the brief period of Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
In a lengthy preview at the brand's Paris headquarters, the soft-spoken designer outlined a less orthodox, more dynamic approach to the company's legacy, which Gallici had time to assimilate when he joined the label in 2020. He was previously a designer of men's clothing.
Still, he compared this season's exercise to entering a forest, “a complex and vast world, one that many people outside of it have idealized. Each person has lived through a different time of Ann… which in 40 years has been many things,” Gallici said. “And the further you go into the forest, the more you get lost. But in a way, that kind of feeling has always been positive for me, because it led me to find new paths. It was still a wandering through a space that I know well, so in the end you never really abandon the essence of the brand.”
In her presentation on Friday, Gallici explored an intriguing mix of ruggedness and fragility through biker jackets, a more structured take on tailoring, georgette dresses and fluid elements of lingerie, all infused with a raw energy and attitude.
To tense music, he paraded fantastic coats and jackets with sheepskin collars, which were hand-painted to look scruffy. They were made of worn-effect leather or military green melton fabric. Gallici highlighted that the previous texture respected that feeling of aging and enhanced the wear value that he always liked about the founder's garments; the latter nodded toward artist Joseph Beuys' 1970 piece “Felt Suit,” which was one of the many personal references he cited.
Distressed sweaters and knitted dresses further built on its rough-hewn narrative. Lingerie-inspired silk sets and sheer slip dresses contrasted with structured outerwear, but still respected the overall vibe with raw paneling, chiffon-like lace trim and thorn embroidery. Three-piece pinstripe suits were revised with asymmetries, while other sartorial pieces were made from crushed velvet with a shiny finish.
“It is never easy to contribute your own voice and personality: there is an ambivalence of determination and fragility at the same time behind this work,” Gallici reflected.
An exercise in self-awareness, his compelling collection demonstrated that not all who wander are lost.
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