To survive daily life in a big city is to encounter both miraculous efficiency—the way restaurants package to-go soup and juices that somehow don’t spill a drop—and no-win situations. Rain will always come when you don’t have an umbrella, and no matter how many napkins accompany your deli sandwich, they will never be enough to clean bagel schmear off your fingers.
French label Jacquemus understands the challenges of the modern urban woman—and has (most) of the solutions you’ve been looking for. In an interview with Business of Fashion, Simon Porte Jacquemus once said, “It’s not about being strategic, it’s about being spontaneous.” His Fall 2019 collection is truly for the spontaneous—even if it’s the forced spontaneity that accompanies city living. The solutions were deftly presented and all possessing a sense of humor.
Unless you’re a model or some sort of supernatural creature, attempts to wear heels to work or a night out unfailingly end in a defeated $45 Lyft home. Jacquemus brought a sigh of relief to anyone who’s tried to make it through the day in heels—wearing a cornflower-blue button-up and trousers, a model walked down the runway carrying her shoes in hand. What’s usually the ultimate sign of defeat/freedom after a night out became instead a chic symbol of triumph.
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There was also a Dr. Seussian array of bag sizes—big and small, little and tall— from a cartoonishly large tote to parodies of fashion’s tiny bag trend. Jacquemus’ microscopic bags were capable of maybe fitting a single piece of gum. To top it off, the show’s invite also came in a tiny lavender bag.
Next up in the line of Jacquemus lifestyle essentials? Two crisp, white dinner napkins made for highly useful, surprisingly elegant earrings. A crucial detail to note: They’re good for just one spaghetti dinner before rewash.
The designer once told Dazed, “Jacquemus is not about nightlife and clubbing and things like that, it’s more about fruit and vegetables and rolling in the grass.” The beauty of this collection is that those luxuriant French Riviera colors and touches are still present, but late summer turning into early fall in the city is more of the mood. Loosely buttoned fluorescent blazers were paired with functional trousers, and chunky knee-high rain boots (ideal for splashing through trash-filled puddles) were worn with summer dresses.
As the modern woman knows, sometimes fruits and vegetables and nightlife and clubbing aren’t always disparate things. And Jacquemus is here to deliver.