One facet of the expertise of Nicolas Di Felice is how neatly he optimizes the performance of garments by social remark—then makes it cool and attractive. This season, his thought course of was triggered by watching the common phenomenon of individuals hunching over their telephones. “I’m actually engaged on sort of a brand new silhouette that’s actually, like—bending,” he stated within the Courrèges showroom. “It actually looks like nothing, however truly it’s one thing, this reflection of us on our telephones.”
A rig suggesting a cell phone mast was put in in the course of the house. Technically, Felice’s inspiration of the staring-at-screens impression on human posture caused a slight forward-tilt of the shoulder line—and the ingenious thought of inserting an invisible zipper extending to the elbow on the within of tailor-made sleeves, “so that you don’t need to damage you garments!”
The strains of Courrèges are sharp, principally darkish, and cleverly sliced by Di Felice to adapt the unique space-age minimalism of the founder for the brand new technology.That’s one other of his skills: witness what he’s named “mini-skirt pants.” It seems to be like a plain black long-sleeved tunic, however there’s a slim hole, excessive up on the thigh; a flash of flesh the place the hem meets the pants. An incendiary merchandise he proposes for all genders.
In the meantime, over seasons, Di Felice has rigorously—and accessibly—established the Courrèges signatures and staples: barely boot-cut pants, horizontal slashed pockets set flatteringly excessive, tonnes of sweaters in stretch knit rib, and vinyl jackets. A extremely fascinating addition are the wickedly pointy kitten heel sock-boots. They’re branded with the increasingly-clocked Courrèges brand, however by no means blaringly.
This pre-collection was only a taster of what the switched-on Di Felice plans to point out on the runway Paris in March. The phone-screen thought is about to tackle one other angle he’s noticed, from those that object to surveillance. “There are individuals who give it some thought, and possibly need to withstand it,” Di Felice stated. “And that is extra the subcultural, punk vibe.” There was a giant eye, printed in black on a white mini-dress that in some way hinted at what is perhaps to come back. No matter he meant by it, one factor’s for certain: so far as style’s involved, loads of eyes are actually skilled on him, watching him watching us.
