Is Marcel Rochas the unsung hero of the Paris scene and its fashion history? Alessandro Vigilante, who last year was named creative director of the brand established by the French designer in 1925, must think so.
While waiting for Apple TV, Disney+ or Hulu to unearth Rochas’ legacy and create yet another designer-centric series, Vigilante seems committed to do him justice through his collections.
The founder’s rich archives, his flair for color, attention to detail and overarching “sensibility with which he observed and understood the desires of the women surrounding him at the time” are offering him plenty of inspiration, said the Italian talent.
At his third effort for the house — officially the second as he was ghost designer for the spring 2024 line — he spotlighted some of the brand’s codes, including bows, lavender-hued stripes, dainty floral motifs and lace-looking textures and buttons nodding to Rochas’ vintage fragrance flacons.
Vigilante interwove these elements with a personal escapist narrative. He imagined the eccentric Rochas woman landing in a resort destination, her vacation home and its decor as well as more relaxed pace of her days influencing her way of dressing, resulting in more deconstructed clothes and summery additions to her wardrobe. Cue mariniere striped knitted sets and ruched chambray separates, flimsy blouses with scarves attached and lingerie-inspired tops and slipdresses, as well as vibrant coral and turquoise hues adding to the palette of pale yellow, pickle green and black.
If colorblocking spoke an immediate language, textures eventually stood out in the work of Vigilante, who favored rich yet lightweight fabrications while keeping silhouettes simple and graphic. A-line frocks and midi dresses with a ‘50s flair were crafted from cloqué fabrics; a coral-and-white striped suit was cut from bouclé tweed; a bathrobe-mimicking coat was covered in a 3D chevron pattern; a pencil skirt was richly beaded to evoke scaled-up lace, while smock details emphasized the volumes of cotton trenchcoats and defined accessories such as mules and cuissard boots.
“What I can bring to this role, beyond my knowledge in fashion, is the study on movement,” said Vigilante, who has a past as a professional dancer before having worked at the likes of The Attico, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. “Clothes by themselves don’t have much sense for me: it’s their relationship with the body in movement that really makes my work alive.”
Feminine bomber jackets and skirts had a different touch and look when crafted from cotton or viscose in black and lavender iterations, respectively, and signaled Vigilante’s mission to translate the brand’s feminine elegance into a modern language that could encourage a new generation of women to rediscover the storied brand. Ditto for an ironic print turning crosswords into roses and a lace-reminiscent pattern.
“I like this idea of dressing well but also playing and having fun with clothes, without taking oneself too seriously,” concluded Vigilante.