LEMAIRE SS26: A SARTORIAL AWAKENING, OR JUST A NICE NAP?

The spiritual slide into “new age gentlemanhood”

One can almost hear Christophe Lemaire clearing his throat backstage: “We kind of liked this idea of New Age guys, kind of new hippies, maybe looking for spirituality.” Somewhere behind that playfully serious quip, there is no pretense; just clothes that whisper “enlightenment” without preaching it. And yes, this comes from a label that usually avoids noise as carefully as it avoids fast fashion.

It is all calm, collected constancy. Except now, there is a smirk of color (soft greyish blue, darker rose, deep crimson), lace making a rare cameo and prints nodding, not so subtly, to Picabia, Tinguely and Dalí, as if someone sneaked surrealism into your tea.

Textures and transparency, sexier than your average Sunday brunch

This season, Lemaire flirted with sensuality in the subtlest way possible. Think crinkled leather knee-length skirts paired with structured blazers and mesh sock-sandals: a look that could strip its wearer of illusions (and maybe dignity).

Meanwhile, silky culottes reimagined baggy drawers as something borderline erotic. Airy panels flying beneath parkas suggested that a Parisian cool girl might actually step into such chaos and make it look effortless. And then there is the ghost-like transparency: diaphanous layers cascading like smoke veils, deep slits that whisper more than scream, and handkerchief skirts drifting like scarves tied low on a sweltering day, utterly suggestive without needing to try.

The music, the vibe, the “awakened” energy

Beyond the threads, there was rhythm. Valentina Magaletti and Zongamin brought live percussion, drums meeting bass in a percussive tête-à-tête that resonated through the clothes, the bodies, even the air.

One imagined garments waking up mid-beat, coats fluttering in sync, as if the clothes themselves were trying to meditate but just could not resist the groove. Lemaire and Tran insisted the collection felt “awakened” and “vertical.” I would say it felt more like a gentle kick in the back of the neck, in the nicest possible way.

Man vs. woman, and yes, the women win this round

In menswear, we got reinterpreted archetypes: slimmed-down tailored jackets paired ironically with pajama-like pants, sandals, open-collared shirts.

Small blousons balanced with loose flares; leather jackets teamed with boxing shoes, gloves off for sure. But while the men offered quiet confidence in earthy hues and garment-dyed textures, they did not quite steal the spotlight.

The women, with their fluid play, transparency, leather whispers, skewed silhouettes and razor-leg elegance, delivered a clearer love letter to sensual dressing. In short, the men showed up, but the women made us notice them.

Colours like sunsets, without the cheesy tagline

The palette feels like someone bottled dusk. Burnt and vivid reds, dirty whites, burgundies descending into purples and greys, touches of sun-bleached and scorched tones, all anchored by black with glimmers of light.

There is a chromatic poetry here, a thoughtful dramatization of colour that does not shout; rather, it murmurs, seduces, lingers. It is, dare I say, almost spiritual. Or at least it pretends to be while staying firmly grounded in fabric and drape.

Conclusion: your closet just woke up, almost nirvana

Let us not kid ourselves: we are not witnessing a fashion revolution. No, Lemaire is not staging a sartorial uprising; just a quietly confident sermon on the beauty of dressing with intention.

This was a collection that refused flamboyance yet flirted with sensuality, that favored softness but moved with purpose, that whispered “be awake, be yourself,” without resorting to billboard banalities. In the great pantheon of fashion, Lemaire remains that reliable friend who, you know, might be quietly plotting world peace in their spare time. SS26 did not explode. It rustled. It stirred. And I am half-certain if you closed your eyes, you would feel those clothes breathing.

EVERY LOOKS FROM THE COLLECTION:

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