The nice scent wafting by means of the Parisian salons of The Row, and the ikebana floral preparations staged all through, proved such sensory distractions that it took a second to comprehend one thing was lacking. This season, there have been no mannequins.
Often, for these non-runway visits, they’re stationed like studied compositions that attest to both The Row’s stylistic wizardry, or how a loosely tailor-made blazer attains a sort of Platonic ultimate. Of their place: a sculptural clothes rack designed by Julian Schnabel, the place three hangers offered Look 24—a classic silk shantung pajama ensemble and a cashmere sweater vest—with a pair of low pumps beneath (they go by the title Liisa and can look good with absolutely anything together with white socks). It was as if the garments had turn into a part of an artwork piece, open to interpretation.
But there have been noteworthy objects throughout: a jaunty yellow cape as sturdy as a Waterproof coat, and a cashmere coat with the convenience of a gown; a males’s trench with detachable flannel lining; the structured Georgia bag in pure linen canvas and compact Amber in tightly woven leather-based. They’ll all be discovered on this photograph sequence by Mark Kean, who translated the season’s “lived in” narrative with the arty tinge of an previous journal editorial.
If a largely black-and-white lookbook misses refined tones like a shirt that glowed gentle pink, it attracts consideration to the boys’s and girls’s white underpinnings (in jersey with the slub texture of many washes) as on a regular basis garments. These additionally seem as seen layers, like inside and outside garments as a single outfit, simply dressed up with heels. When the burden of the world feels intractably heavy, gentle, comfy and uncomplicated dressing is most welcome. However at a sure level, one wonders whether or not we’re seeing Veblen’s leisure class concept coded into garments that look increasingly more inconspicuous.
In fact, the lounge-y, extra intimate really feel follows the ultra-discreet preview throughout Milan Design Week of a homewares assortment that shifts The Row into life-style territory. The model marks its twentieth anniversary in 2026, and let’s not neglect that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen began The Row in pursuit of the proper T-shirt. Every part they do nonetheless displays this superlative simplicity, solely on a grander scale. Perhaps, in spite of everything this time, what’s lacking is a more in-depth connection to them.