Jacquemus turns Versailles lake into fashion front row

One of the canniest rising stars of fashion, the French house Jacquemus put on perhaps the most luxurious show of the season in Paris on Monday, putting stars such as Victoria and David Beckham on boats on the lake of the Palace of Versailles to watch the catwalk along the water’s edge.

French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus‘s new collection, inspired by Lady Diana and Marie Antoinette, was revealed on a long red podium installed on the grass at the royal site southwest of the capital.

The set was deliberately set up to look like an Impressionist painting — an “even more radical” show, Jacquemus said, than previous displays he has organised in fields of wheat or lavender, or under a rain of raffia.

Actresses Monica Bellucci, Eva Longoria and Adele Exarchopoulos were among the invitees who arrived at the site and were taken aboard a water-bound “front row”.

True to his taste for independence, Jacquemus held his all-gender show just one day after the official Paris Fashion Week menswear shows had finished.

He has forged a singular and hugely successful path in the fashion game at the age of just 32, despite not showing as part of the official fashion week calendar since 2020.

“What a place! He’s an incredible talent, an artist,” said Bellucci, wearing a brown trouser suit.

The French model and actress Laetitia Casta said: “It’s a dream, offered up by a free, independent and daring designer.”

Star model Gigi Hadid was among those on the catwalk, perched on heels and wearing a light, transparent lace outfit.

After the show, she circled the lake at the wheel of a cart, provoking cheers from fashionistas watching from behind barriers.

Among the outfits were some patriotic touches, including red, white and blue dresses, short and transparent in the front and adorned with long trains.

“I love my country and I’m proud of it,” Jacquemus said.