Red is in. From Ferrari to Miyake, red reigns supreme on the summer catwalk. At the opening of New York Fashion Week, Oprah Winfrey applauded Ralph Lauren’s spring/summer collection, declaring, « I think you wear red when you know you’ve won. » Red is no longer just a statement colour. It’s primal. Pure. But not too beastly. Bold. It becomes architecture. At Ralph Lauren, it adds character, serving as a signature on a suit. At Ashlyn, it powers the Vessel Collection. Hermès offers a sparkling vision of its beloved leather, playfully subverting it with a lace-up crop top and mischievous red leather trousers. Loewe invites us to have fun with a red zippered leather minidress without taking ourselves too seriously. Issey Miyake also plays with red, weaving pleats and bold cut-outs across a range of architectural dresses and skirts. This summer, the little black dress becomes the ‘little red dress’, a key piece crafted entirely from leather, right down to the bow, at Givenchy. This lends an empathetic touch to red, far removed from past clichés.
Playful and triumphant, the “new red” brings movement and fluidity. It dares to become a language in itself rather than a mere punctuation mark, even in perfumery, from the profusion of red berries in the spring fragrance market to the vermilion bottle of the latest Comme des Garçons, To Vetiver (and beyond), created by Christian Astuguevieille. Red stimulates creativity without overwhelming it. It is one of the most instinctive colors, and summer seems poised to mark a return to this instinct.
Flannie 