Paris is proving something of an inspiration for Kobi Halperin. Just a couple of days after sending his eponymous collection down the Paris runway for the first time, he revealed his latest offering for Ungaro. Both drew references from the City of Light.
For Ungaro, the ordered layout of the Louvre got the designer thinking about beauty and how it is portrayed. But it was the eclecticism of the flea market at Saint Ouen, a mêlée of valuable antiques with vintage clothing and junk from all around the world and from every era that fired his imagination the most.
Like a curiosity cabinet, he pulled together eclectic references and colorways that stimulate him from around the world, from oriental motifs to paisley patterns, embroidered flowers, ostrich feathers and feline prints. “It’s based on Paris and a European aesthetic but letting any other type of culture come into it,” Halperin said. “It’s just a mix of things together that is pleasing to the eye.”
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Ungaro staples like pleated and draped dresses came in a leopard print on cotton voile that was faded as if left out in the sun, while paisley separates like a versatile cape were done in beige, dusty pink and gold. Miniature floral prints were placed under lace and printed lace designs had cutout panels, lending a sense of depth to the more fitted silhouettes in the collection. The looks were styled with flat satin mules with ostrich feather details, intended to evoke luxury at ease.
Underpinning the diversity of references was a structured backbone of plainer looks, including a crisp white poplin wrap dress with a full tie waist, elegant in its simplicity, and an extensive range of guipure tailoring in black or white.
