

JACQUEMUS ON HOW TO HUMBLE VERSAILLES IN SS26
Honoring your ancestors is quite a common theme in the fashion industry when you get to a point of stability and success. But to pay homage to your peasant family in L’Orangerie du Château de Versailles is a wild statement, a break-through moment in the classiest industry, the fashion world. In the painting of Hubert Robert, that is one of the reference points of the show, we could see how the artist put emphasis on the architectural and poetic aspect of the space, reflecting his dual role as documentarian and visionary. Same as the designer, translating the Mediterranean species loved by Louis XIV into a demonstration of how luxury can be inflected by rural heritage, putting the South of France into the same level as the royal palace. Some pieces featured orange elements that conceptualize as a new take on the status symbol that it was back then. It is an emotional ride to see how Simon Porte Jacquemus with this collection takes the familiar archive of photographs and transforms it into detailed looks.
“Le Paysan” explains visually the roots of the designer and how important it is to let a child dream. The work of diverse artist and creatives is being referenced like Gustave Roud’s transcendence in the ordinary with memory and time as the central focus, Jamie Hawkesworth’s quiet dignity and individuality through the elevation of the ordinary and Marce Pagnol’s nostalgia without sentimentality for childhood and simpler times in the Provençal countryside.
Across 60 looks, a fantasy is told from the eyes of a kid that dreams to work in the fashion industry. From the quiet poetry of everyday life to his grandmother’s style or the folklore of the South of France. A collection that speaks to the rural unhabitants and how they can make it. Insane details paired with the humblest materials like linen, cotton and wool. An autobiographical attempt to elevate the storytelling of the brand for the international market, now more than ever with the ouverture of their stores in London, New York and Los Angeles. For menswear, he was inspired by the men that he saw in his childhood and that he called “Duke of Provence”, a product of fascination by their style and gesture mixed with the mediterranean life of the area. In the womenswear department, it was all about reinventing the Provençal skirt and emphasizing the bridal wear that is taking off in the brand.
Apart from a personal journey, the collection also looks back at different collections that have been important for the growth of the company like “LA RIVIERA” or “L’amour d’un gitan” or “Les Santons de Provençe”. He always had in mind the people who shape his persona, who were outsiders of the fashion world, but let him express through this medium. An array of garments that blossoms into an explosion of different craftsmanship techniques that show the innate ambition of the designer. The sunshine of fashion or a lesson on how to humble Versailles through subtle sexiness.
Words: @alraco43