Agnès b. sketches a series of colourful character studies

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jun 25, 2018

Agnès b. received her guests and friends at her label's HQ near Paris' Canal Saint Martin on Sunday to present her latest menswear collection for spring/summer 2019. Amidst a jovial, laid-back atmosphere, the designer sent out a series of character studies, each featuring its own idiosyncratic style.

 
There was the street sweeper in his blue boiler suit, the workmen in dungarees, the seductive bather in his long black and white striped bathrobe and the impeccable sportsman in his tracksuit with red side strips. "I like creating characters. My runway is like Place de la République. There are loads of different people. Parisians from every walk of life. And I like playing dress up with the boys to find the look which suits each one best," the designer explained. 

And there are no end of characters in the mix for next summer – the salty seafarer in shorts, a navy pullover and a peaked captain's cap, for example, or the young dandy in his white suit and scarf. Not to mention the sartorial sophisticate in his three-piece suit, and the tourist in his floral shirt, or the holidaymakers, one of whom paired a sky blue top with red bermudas and a bucket hat of the same colour, while another opted for a short-sleeved summer suit in white and yellow striped deckchair fabric. 

Agnès b., whose real name is Agnès Troublé, let her guests know what they were in for with her programme notes: "the clothes presented are not runway clothes, but the pieces that will be in our menswear boutiques for spring/summer 2019. Gentlemen... Be daring!" And being daring should be easy with this wardrobe, where everything has a light and airy feel, and all the pieces are highly wearable and easy to mix and match. 

The politically engaged designer also offered a number of pieces taking inspiration from her favourite artists, such as a jacket featuring drawings by street artist Mambo and a t-shirt decorated with a slogan from graffiti artist Jim Joe. "I've always supported graffiti artists. I'm very close to hip-hop culture," she pointed out. 

Indeed, Agnès b. has always surrounded herself with artists. And for this runway show, a number of them, who have also become her friends, jumped at the chance to take to the catwalk. French actor Rod Paradot, for example, stepped into the roles of street sweeper and late-18th-century gentleman, while Germain Louvet, a dancer from the Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris, closed the show, pirouetting in a black a suit to resounding applause.