It was a coming of age story that Victoria Feldman and Tomas Berzins wanted to tell with their fall collection — one where you’re not quite sure where you’re going, but go there you will. It was a fitting metaphor for Feldman, whose baby is due in just two weeks time.
They played with contrasts on their signature reversible designs, making one side of a jacket more sartorial, the other adorned with silver sequins, for example, nodding to the more grown-up theme. Elsewhere, transparent sequins were sewn onto a patchwork of herringbone check, worked as a zipped dress with long yellow fringe details.
Flounces of plumetis tulle alternately popped out from below a buttoned miniskirt and cropped jacket combo — worked in allover red, blue or black — or created a flowing over-layer in contrast with the structured shapes beneath. Zippers were used to highlight the body, curving around the belly button on skirts and highlighting the waist on cropped jackets.
For the second time, Feldman and Berzins featured the work of Cyril Lancelin, commissioning the giant inflatable stars that surrounded the runway, a covered courtyard at Paris’ newly revamped central post office where passersby could also take in the show.
The artworks also found their way into the collection, featuring as a graphic motif on wool coats, as mini-versions carried by the models, or evoked in rivet details on leather pieces.
The soundtrack featured the voice of French singer and actress Louane — also a young mother, Feldman pointed out backstage — who opened the show.
Feldman and Berzins compared the collection to a puzzle with no instructions, meaning they had to use their intuition to complete the image. Even without a notice, their vision was clear, and its expression distinctive.