“Being a foreigner in Paris” is something German designer Lutz Huelle is familiar with, as is Israeli Alber Elbaz, who founded AZ Factory with Richemont less than two years before his death.
For his second pre-collection for the brand, now based on serial collaborators, Huelle shared his perspective on Parisian style, eschewing clichés like berets and striped blouses to focus on the everyday elegance of oversized men's shirts, blazers and the like. , along with more eccentric elements like ruffles, leopard prints, and scorching color combinations, especially pink with red.
He joined a cheerful but accessible line of costume makers with as much personality as practicality. Consider a chic asymmetrical leopard skirt made in a knit fabric that's flexible despite its printed sequin surface, or a loose-fitting shirt and drawstring pants in a fitted knit fabric in warm colors: comfortable enough for the couch, but with the right shoes and accessories, plausible for A Night on the Town.
Huelle captured Elbaz's inimitable style of casual glamor with T-shirt dresses that fan out to puffed skirts, or a polo dress in duchess satin with a plunging placket and daring tulip sleeves.
During a preview, she highlighted the versatility of the former (stylish under a two-tone cardigan) and brought in a viscose denim version of her polo dress to demonstrate the fabric's flexibility. The lace is repeated on the sleeves of a light jacket, on the placket of a loose shirt or in the intarsias of a sweatshirt.
Huelle started with AZ Factory as a guest designer for their Spring 2023 collection and returned to a pre-collection directing role. She operates on instinct, trusting her sudden fondness for polos, and is also attentive to what sells, which is why she reprized the flared poplin shirt dresses, one of the best-sellers from her first effort. she.
