In Paris, fashion is pop and playful at Anrealage, warm at Ester Manas

The second day of Fashion Week, dedicated to women's ready-to-wear collections for next winter, saw the return of two interesting names to the Parisian scene. Anrealage and Ester Manas, who renew their offer and their approach. Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga designed a playful collection in the form of a mathematical-textile puzzle, while Belgian duo Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre move towards luxury and expand their universe.

On Tuesday, Anrealage gave an unexpected presentation to its guests, who crowded around the Alexander III Bridge. Instead of a runway show, Japanese designer Kunihiko Morinaga opted for a singular installation, displaying his clothes under a bluish light amid large globes, pyramids, cubes and other icosidodecahedra floating beside him. The originality? All of these geometric objects are made with the same fabric as the clothes the models wear. A frenetic organ melody gives the ensemble a magical and futuristic fairground atmosphere.

With this collection, the designer has made a charming return to childhood, taking inspiration from his favorite manga, Doraemon, created by Fujiko F. Fujio in the early 70s, with its cat-robot character that travels from the future thanks to a small propeller. stuck to his head. Of course, this device became a must-have accessory for the coming winter in the form of a propeller-shaped headband, which was joyfully distributed to the public.

Doraemon is, above all, an alibi for Kunihiko Morinaga to embark on another of his innovative textile explorations. For the autumn-winter 2024/25 season, the designer intervened in depth on the shape of the garment to allow it, once folded, to transform into a perfect geometric volume through a set of zippers and buttons.

With Anrealage, clothing becomes a game, the designer seemed to suggest, who had already tested the concept of geometric garments in spring/summer 2021 with garments capable of transforming into tents of all shapes and sizes.

The cotton jacket with white umbrella stripes and a choice of blue, red or green, paired with short, baggy pants in the same shades, was constructed to form an octahedron or other polyhedron; the black jacket became a cube; The gold leather jacket became a tetrahedron, the silver one a large ball, as did the white and light blue checkered ruffled shirt.

The same goes for the fluorescent tracksuits that Anrealage designed for sports brand Reebok as part of a soon-to-be-released collaboration, some of whose models were revealed in a preview on Tuesday.

Kunihiko Morinaga has always had a passion for research and innovation, especially when it comes to dyeing techniques. For this collection he partnered with the Japanese manufacturer Kyocera, which has developed a textile printing system that considerably reduces water consumption.

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Ester Manas returned to the podium in very good shape after taking a break last season “to think about the next steps.” In June, Manas won the 2023 Prix Spécial de l'Andam, along with LGN Gabriel Nouchi (Prix de l'Andam winner) and Arthur Avellano (Prix Pierre Bergé winner), who attended the show. With an endowment of 100,000 euros and a mentorship with Chloé, the house, which has made inclusion her hobby, seems to have taken off with a clear commitment to luxury and diversification of its offer.

Designers Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre continue to offer some of the sheer, gathered tulle pieces that made them so successful, designed in a one-size-fits-all that can be adapted for everyone to wear. But in general the looks were much more elegant than in the past. On the runway, the ruffled, ultra-sexy ensembles diminished, revealing a fuller, more extensive wardrobe.

In particular, garments with sleeves and outerwear were introduced, such as small wool jackets, a khaki trench coat completely open to the side or beautiful leather coats, with zippers all the way up or with a tricolor mosaic of reptile-effect furs. Completing the collection were jackets with yellow lining or ruffle layer texture.

Form-fitting day dresses with fluffy textures were layered over matching long-sleeved sweaters, sometimes exposing upper arms. Body-hugging stretch knit sets, such as the twinset with a split skirt or the zipped knit set with spindles, with gray cotton dresses, loose shorts or sweatpants.

In its statement of intent, the brand explains that it has restructured its offer around three lines: the hot line, with a focus on lingerie centered on the emblematic pieces of Ester Manas; the cold line, made up of outerwear, with jackets and bombers with a plush effect, all of them in labeled leather; and the jersey line, with “essential” basics.