THESonia Rykiel SS17 show at Paris Fashion Week was done in tribute to the late French designer who the industry lost due to complications from Parkinson’s disease on August 25, at age 86. Imparting je ne sais quoi upon knitwear especially, which the designer was famed for, quirky would become a word forever associated with her vision. A word often derided within fashion discourse across the board, a word that instantly brings juvenile connotations to mind, but if quirky ever held more sway, it was Rykiel who swayed away in a blanket of effervesce.
A fashion radical fed up with the trends of her time she deemed tame, Rykiel began creating her own clothing in the fifties. Then, becoming pregnant in 1962 and finding herself unable to find attractive maternity wear, Rykiel designed and create a dress and a sweater. Incorporating high-cut armholes and a shrunken fit to cling to the body its practical and modern chic appeal was inspiring.
Soon, Rykiel’s demure body-con creations would cherish the silhouettes of French fashion pop-esses Françoise Hardy and Catherine Deneuve and international style icons such as Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Onassis. Through her charming creative force, Rykiel gave women a sense of freedom, a way of being, and a way of feeling empowered and empowering.
In the École des Beaux-Arts, decorated with screens featuring moving vintage footage of Rykiel, creative director Julie de Libran did justice to her mentor with a collection of powerfully styled Parisian potency. To keep the brand going strong despite the loss of its founder de Libran held the spirit intact with healthy and vital bulky dresses and jumpsuits meant to be bigger than life, giving glamour to the utilitarian in a way that Rykiel has always exceeded in doing,
Blocks of multicolour sprung out from white and navy, taking one to the south of France come next summer ahead of schedule and in style. Gowns sheathing the upper body concealed arms with the intention to be moved in, in a flurry of countryside florals. One can almost see Sonia doing exactly that. She made a final ceremonial appearance when the show ended with models wearing what spelled out RYKIEL FOREVER in her iconic sweaters. As silver paillettes rained down from above this was a touching homage to a life and that life’s work.
by Livia Feltham
Images courtesy of Sonia Rykiel