Published
October 3, 2024
Paris Fashion Week remains an incredible magnate for ideas, as three American marques – Adam Lippes, 7 For All Mankind and Brad Pitt-backed God’s True Cashmere – and one Indian couturier – Vaishali S – underlined these past few days.
Adam Lippes: New York elegance on the Left Bank
One of New York’s classiest designers, Adam Lippes, presented his latest collection in Karry Berreby, an elegant gallery in St. Germain on Rue de Lille.
Located opposite Karl Lagerfeld’s famed bookstore, the space was an ideal location to view Lippes new ideas.
In his design youth, Lippes was the creative director of Oscar de la Renta, and that patrician imprint remains. Though, Lippes is far less starchy than his alma mater, showing finely cut and draped wool suits, their jackets done with satin lapels; long skirts with two-directional zips, the better to wear in multiple circumstances; clever cargo pants; and a series great big-button cashmere coats.
Along with excellent coated twill and silk ponchos; and cutely detailed Japanese denim; and gold buttoned leather skirts and boleros.
No wonder, business is booming.
“We just opened our fourth boutique, this time in Palm Beach, which is doing extremely well,” noted the ever-youthful Lippes.
Adam, who lives in Brooklyn Heights, also boasts two New York boutiques and over a dozen shop-in-shops in major American department stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus.
After departing de la Renta, Lippes launched his own line in 2004, which was backed by Richemont, before being sold to Kellwood. Two years later, Lippes bought back his name, and quietly relaunched the brand. Since then, it has been on a slow boil, but now is steaming ahead.
Made in the finest fabrics and positioned next to The Row and Carolina Herrera in major stores, Adam Lippes is the most refined indie fashion house in New York today.
God’s True Cashmere: Brad and Sat’s cool cashmere
Across the Seine, Sat Hari showed attractive, holistic and hipster cashmere, in her intriguing new fashion label called God’s True Cashmere.
Her business angel: no less than Brad Pitt, for whom she made the first-ever item in the collection back in 2019.
At its heart, God’s True Cashmere is an array of creamy cashmere plaid shirts and over-shirts made in soft sherbet and impressionist hues. Each of them finished with seven jeweled front buttons – referencing the seven points of chakra – sourced from Jaipur, India, a country she knows well.
Born in Massachusetts of Swedish parents, Sat grew up in India, and attended the famed Shangri La boarding school in the Himalayas. The way one does.
“About five years ago, I had a dream and I saw Brad, who is a friend, wearing green, and I called him and told him about it. And he said, ‘that’s weird I was just thinking I had made a mental note for my stylists to get me more green cashmere.’ So, that started me thinking,” Sat explained.
Within a few months, via a friend in Assisi, she had a green cashmere shirt as a Christmas present for Brad, and he liked it so much they decided to start a business together.
A selection of looks – made in a series of 50 – sold out rapidly in a West Hollywood boutique, and since then God’s True Cashmere has gone from strength to strength. Today retailing in 35 doors including Joyce, Le Bon Marché and Harrods.
In a presentation in a 1st arrondissement showroom, Hari also showed a new men’s and women’s range in sturdy linen, that featured clever racing stripes on one side, a reference to Pitt’s latest film Formula One.
Hari, a teacher of holistic medicine based in LA, has also inked clever collabs – Yohji Yamamoto is just one. Not bad going for a dream.
7 For All Mankind opens in Paris
California-born 7 For All Mankind opened its Paris flagship as the season ended and one could not fault their location, on a corner beside Saint Laurent’s flagship and catty corner to a Dior beauty boutique.
Long-known as the cool girls’ denim jeans brand, 7 For All Mankind has expanded its range to include a complete wardrobe, with a strong array of smart leather jackets and jerkins.
Founded in 2000 in LA, where it is still headquartered, 7 For All Mankind jeans were once obligatory for gals as distant as Chelsea and Soho, in both London and New York. Though the brand did lose heat in the last decade, before being acquired by Delta Galil Industries in 2016.
Now, it seems on the mend, as shown by the store, made in the organic warmth of natural oak, evoking the laid-back, sun-soaked vibes of California’s landscapes. Transitioning deeper into the store, the mood evolves, with satin-finished steel, mirrors and concrete; and includes a striking art-meets-furniture installation by Pablo Octavio.
Guests spilled out onto the street at the opening, as Paris’ best loved DJ duo Doppelganger, staged an electrifying set.
“We are especially proud to celebrate our return with an exclusive event during Paris Fashion Week, marking our re-entry into the global fashion conversation. This opening marks not only the homecoming for 7 For All Mankind but also a bold new chapter in our evolution. We are investing in driving growth through increased innovation and expanding our ready-to-wear collections,” explained Sacha Gomez de Zamora Ford, global president of 7 For All Mankind.
Vaishali S: An Indian in Paris
Heading back over the Seine, and into the realm of couture, the acclaimed Mumbai-based couturier Vaishali Shadangule feted her debut boutique in Europe.
“It’s been my dream to open in Saint Germain ever since I first came here to this neighborhood,” enthused Vaishali S, who stages her runway shows in Paris during the city’s couture week.
The store, located at 188 Boulevard Saint-Germain, opposite the likes of Etro, Brunello Cucinelli and Ralph Lauren’s flagship, means Vaishalis is the first India designer to open a boutique in the French capital.
It’s a white-walled minimalist space, useful for focusing on Vaishali S’ exuberant silhouettes and intricate craftsmanship of her fabrics. Designed by Vaishali Shadangule herself, the store also showcases her home decor line, including sustainable textile art.
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