On the last day of Paris Fashion Week—of fashion month, if we pan out further—the Moncler Gamme Rouge collection was a declaration of support for France. Less a love letter than a stylized show of strength, the brand’s latest fashion escapade featured officers patrolling an indeterminate desert (10 tons of sand!), attired in French Foreign Legion uniforms that dialed up the luxe. From the chic kepis to the tricolor kicks, the looks signaled a less precious direction than recent seasons; this was sleek urban attire embellished with elements of historical and ceremonial dress.
The label’s creative commander-in-chief, Giambattista Valli, deployed the references well, adding substance to the sport. The collection’s primary print combined archive architectural plans of buildings around 18th-century Paris. Basic red T-shirts boasted beaded bees, a key symbol for Napoleon; one couldn’t help but wonder whether Moncler Gamme Rouge was making empire overtures. All those flag iterations weren’t just patriotic; Moncler was born near Grenoble nearly 65 years ago, and guards its French heritage in spite of its Italian ownership. These have been its signature colors all along.
With its bigger, bolder logos and slim yet relaxed shapes, the collection made a clear bid for younger recruits, whom Valli happens to know well thanks to his Giamba line. Wisely, he gave them multiple entry points: drawstring pants; handmade macramé lace warm-up jackets, gilets, and jogging shorts; and tailored service suits and tunics in technical duchesse or micro-taffeta (engineered to retain volume). The richly embroidered lace dresses at the end were empress outliers, a uniform for a modern Joséphine. “It’s vive la France. It’s a sign of support,” confirmed Valli, after models in blue-silver-red coats made their final défilé, a word, incidentally, that refers as much to military parades as the runway.
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