Fashion for everyday life by Marine Serre, Lutz Huelle, Zimmermann

After a festive and sparkling weekend, on Monday everything returns to normal, as the designers seem to tell us. During this intense Paris Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 2024-25 women's ready-to-wear collections, numerous designers have underlined the importance of returning to a more practical and easy-to-wear fashion, without neglecting creativity and lightness. tap. As was demonstrated on Monday on the slopes with Marine Serre, Lutz Huelle and Zimmermann.

Marine Serre went all out and brought her entire world to Ground Control, a renowned venue in the Parisian alternative scene, in the 12th arrondissement. She applied a personal and humorous touch to the venue, transforming the large room into a branded covered market Marine Serre, with the Bar de la Marine, a PiSerreia, the Café de Serre, which welcomed guests with a cup of tea on a terrace, a florist offering a complimentary bouquet and more.

In this relaxed atmosphere, the models, selected in a street casting, emerged from a cloud of fog with a smiling and carefree air, as if they were taking a walk with friends. One of them carried a baby in a baby carrier, others held a newspaper or a paper bag, or dragged a shopping cart or a tote bag full of groceries.

“I wanted people to connect with each other. When you go shopping at the market, you have time to walk around, eat something, watch people go by, and take time to look around. The everyday is part of life, every day. is the day to day. The most important thing is to feel this happiness every day,” said Serre backstage. In recent seasons, the designer has decidedly distanced herself from the dystopian atmosphere that characterized her first shows. She now prefers to celebrate love and joy, “bringing beauty to everyday life.”

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Some models came out with objects such as a paper cup, a pizza box or the cover of a record with the black and white portrait of the designer, as it appeared on the tribute t-shirt distributed in her last show, titled Heartbeat. Not to mention the now legendary baguette, the star 'accessory' of this season, also present in Moschino and Undercover.

“I wanted women to feel comfortable in their clothes and at the same time beautiful and powerful. That's why I think clothes should be comfortable and easy to wear. “Women today should be able to do anything, like ride a bike in a nude-colored sheer knit dress,” Serre said. Her collection, with a chic and bourgeois touch, was aimed at a broad audience, with suits, cardigans and jacket and skirt sets, as well as some evening dresses, such as the sheath dress with large moiré wings.

As always, Serre's colorful, patchwork looks made from recycled garments, though were fewer, as the designer has focused on a more linear and geometric style, using regenerated fibers to create proprietary fabrics. The brand's recognizable crescent-shaped logo appeared throughout the collection, on clothing, accessories and even some gadgets. It appeared on knit ensembles such as jumpsuits and slinky dresses, was printed on leather and denim garments such as thigh-high boots, long coats and oversized jackets, and was embroidered on sheer tulle fabrics.

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Lutz Huelle returned to the catwalks after the pandemic and could not hide his joy. AZ Factory, the brand owned by the Richemont group with which Huelle has been collaborating for a year and a half, offered him his place on the Paris Fashion Week calendar and, in addition, a budget. “I'm even happier because it was unexpected. For an independent brand like mine, it was a real blessing,” said the German designer backstage, who has created a fresh and intelligent collection.

Huelle showed a mix of two-in-one pieces that were both attractive and easy to wear, packed with details and small tweaks in unexpected places that added surprising twists to the collection. The black lace trim of the blouse matched a lace band fitted to the waist of the pants, like an elegant belt that gave an original touch to the silhouette. Elsewhere, pleats like those on a tuxedo shirt, but horizontal rather than vertical, extended to the shoulders and sleeves of dresses and blouses, or draped over thin, colorful trench coats.

A pleated shirt was transformed into a little black dress, glamorous giant ruffles in duchess silk adorned an austere men's jacket, and blue and mauve sequins created a vest effect on a white shirtdress. A shiny gold band at the top edge of a skirt or pleated corset dress added a touch of light to the look. Like the small crystals scattered as brooches on the faces and necks of the models and on some clothes.

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Huelle has skillfully combined classic women's fashion pieces (magnificent bathrobes, checked trousers, straight skirt with front slit, impeccably cut black dress) with more creative hybrid pieces, introducing denim inserts in pinstriped trousers, in a trench coat, in black shorts. dress and a waterproof jacket. And incorporating panels of Prince of Wales fabric into a poplin shirt dress.

“They are all simple ideas, there is nothing forced. They are all wardrobe essentials that have been reinterpreted and renewed. It was an easy collection to design, each idea leading to another. I felt very inspired,” says a beaming Huelle, for whom the business is going from strength to strength. His brand is distributed through 60 to 70 retailers worldwide and is especially thriving in Japan.

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Zimmermann also oscillated between elegant and practical. The Australian label performed at the Cambon Pavilion on Monday. It was the ideal place, with its spectacular red-carpeted staircase and wrought iron balustrade, to house Zimmermann's glamorous and romantic collection, which nevertheless included several urban and everyday outfits. The brand showcased a rich wardrobe ranging from voluminous evening dresses to more casual denim pieces.

Of course, lace, the true passion of Australian designer Nicky Zimmermann, was very present. It was used in long shaped dresses, elegant corset dresses and petticoats, while rare silk was the fabric of choice for ruffled dresses and bow-laced blouses with puffed sleeves. But the collection also took a more practical route, with everyday clothes paired with wool socks and comfortable lace-up shoes.

Zimmermann's wardrobe for next winter includes washed denim ensembles, short Prince of Wales check suits, casual heather wool suits with big pockets and studded buttons, long leather blouses and skirts, and openwork knit dresses. The look that best summed up Zimmermann's new street style consisted of a pair of satin joggers worn with a bustier top, underneath a two-tone faux fur coat.