Isabel Marant’s Fall 2020 Ready-to-Wear collection contained all of the usual tropes of her clothing that we’ve come to know and love; from the matching leather sets to high waisted cinching. She hones in on a girly yet sophisticated niche, which has always caused her styles to perform well commercially as a look that people want to buy into. The style lends itself to the idea of the Isabel Marant customer, the sharp-witted city girl living out her ideal, city, life. She’s always dressed to the nines, she watches her figure and, essentially, looks like she has just stepped off of an editorial shoot at all times; down to the dewy skin. Underneath it all, she’s exhausted, but you can’t tell.
Models backstage at the Isabel Marant show during PFW. Photo: theimpression.com
That’s been her narrative for season upon season, but there’s something peculiar about the tone of this Fall 2020 collection. Consider it second-hand escapism from Jacquemus’s nostalgic Provencal collections, but we’re sensing a subtle yearning to take a break from the city, via Gare de Lyon, imparted in yesterday’s designs. Marant layered thin chain necklaces, integrated sandy colors and added long flowing dresses to her signature looks, which acted like an extension of the ideas we’ve come to understand about the urbanite Isabel Marant girl. As if through her more relaxed wardrobe, she is communicating a desire to ditch the arrondissements, and all the stress they entail, and clear her head, down in the South. Or anywhere.
The escapist quality in the clothes was exemplified in the daywear, which featured loose-fitting turtlenecks, sophisticated sweaters and shearling coats that were built for comfort, for slowing down - not speed. How easy it would be to picture the Marant woman in the collection’s kaftan while walking the cobblestone streets in Saint-Émilion. The cowhide vest, textured layers and all of the silver studded belts added pops of detail to much of the daywear, without making it busy in the slightest.
As much as this new narrative resonates, relocating for the weekend doesn’t upend your life. Marant still featured her recognizable exaggerated hemlines and unique takes on the slouch boot that her fans have come to expect from her designs. Refreshing classic styles with interesting designs is what makes her’s so timelessly cool and Parisian - she’s never overdoing it. We see this in her evening wear, where we’re reintroduced to the concept of an all-black outfit - replacing cuffed pants with stirrups and opting for a shattered design over simplicity on the top. Off-the-shoulder cuts were intensified by taking the concept literally, with an upward wingspan to appear as though they actually floating off and away from the models’ shoulders.
It’s this type of elevated casual and refreshing of ideas that has come to define Isabel Marant, and what makes this collection an ideal solace for someone who is looking to reset and recenter in some ready-to-wear.
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