Louise Trotter is fleshing out her vision of the Carven woman.
On Saturday, it unveiled a new logo for the historic French fashion house, along with its sophomore collection. Although it's early days, Trotter has managed to stoke the buzz around the brand, which is preparing to reopen its historic boutique at the foot of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées next week; The brand's Instagram account already has a million followers.
“We were pleasantly and positively surprised by how good the reaction was,” he said of his debut last season.
Rebuilding the brand's identity is an ongoing process for the designer, who focused on creating the kind of wardrobe staples you can wear over and over again, but that still spark desire.
All the clothes had soft curves and gentle folds: Oversized coats with wide, rounded shoulders, loose blouses, and elongated skirts came in a palette of neutrals punctuated with pops of scarlet and pistachio green.
Trotter stripped away details to focus on textures, from a fuzzy knit tube top worn with baggy pants to a dress with shaggy ivory fringe.
“There's kind of an interesting space between what is sportswear, what is nightwear and what is daywear, and I think that's something that I've worked with and thought about, but also this sense of being dressed and undressed,” she said during a preview.
The designer wasn't referring to the nude-wearing trend that has swept the runways this season and is probably giving bra makers restless nights.
“Women can choose how they want to be for themselves, and if they want to attract that look, that's fine too. I think the woman I'm talking to, or the woman I want to express, is a woman who dresses for herself,” Trotter said.
Blouses with draped collars opened at the back, while vests with scoop necklines were paired with sculptural skirts fastened with a brooch at the hip. Extravagant accessories included padded ballet flats that could quickly achieve cult status.
Trotter's cerebral sensuality is the kind that never sacrifices comfort. “How you feel in clothes is very important to me,” she said. “I always ask models, 'How do you feel about that? Do you feel good about that?'”
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