Longchamp Fall/Winter 2021 Fashion Show

The Longchamp Fall/Winter Women’s 2021 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week showcased a collection heavily influenced by the work of Pierre Paulin.

Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine drew inspiration from the iconic Longchamp racehorse logo and the work of the iconic French interior designer. Paulin’s vision revolutionized Parisian apartments in the second half of the 20th century.

Longchamp’s Inspiration and Influence

Drawn by Turenne Chevallereau, the galloping Longchamp racehorse is the enduring expression of the label’s dynamism and art de vivre. It was this equestrian connection that influenced the choice of location for the show. Gustave Eiffel engineered Paris’ renowned Battesti riding hall’s glass and iron roof.

Meanwhile, Pierre Paulin was a key influence on the collection’s silhouettes. In fact, Sophie Delafontaine cites this innovative approach to line, function, colour and material as harmonizing with the creative spirit of Longchamp.

The Collection’s Texture and Style

Furthermore, many of the looks had a sensual, enveloping quality evocative of the curves of a Paulin sofa.

Quilting and layering were prominent themes. Several silhouettes featured sleeveless, padded gilets in butter-soft lambskin. Cashmere crop tops featured with a denim shirt and Seventies-style woollen ribbed turtleneck sweaters slipped under shirts, suits and dresses.

The Fashion Show Opening

Mica Arganaraz opened the show in a black safari jacket belted over a red skinny-rib sweater and the shortest of white shorts. This was worn with black rain boots, out of which peeped long red socks.

Both the colour palette – at once equestrian and quintessentially Parisian – and the proportions would recur throughout the show. This balanced the sporty mood.

Fluid midi dresses or cropped pants atop heeled, knee-high boots exuded an eminently feminine vibe. This ultimately illustrated the diverse facets of Longchamp’s Parisienne.

Also, standouts here were a red lambskin leather dress with flirtatious flounces paired with a white skinny-rib and white boots, and a blouson and pants combo in lush caramel suede. A more casual feel was introduced by two oversized, mannish suits in peony-pink and soft grey corduroy, worn with white loafers embellished with chunky acetate chains, both the colours and the accessories nodding to the Sixties and Seventies.

The Look and Feel of the Collection

The warm, enveloping feel of the collection extended to the season’s star bags: the Brioche and Le Pliage® Cuir. Also, the former, as delectably soft as the familiar French pastry, is also available in denim.

Longchamp reinterpreted the iconic Le Pliage® in padded, quilted lambskin, both in its classic shape and as a drawstring backpack.

Elsewhere, Longchamp accessorised the emblematic Roseau bag with a vintage-inspired acetate toggle and chain. Sophie Delafontaine also revived Longchamp’s heritage Le Foulonné grained leather in the form of a neat, square bag that swung lightly from the models’ shoulders.

Last but by no means least, the collection’s It-accessory was a bucket hat in LGP jacquard canvas. This captures both the mischievous energy and the mysterious charm of Longchamp’s Parisienne.

For more information, go to their website : https://www.longchamp.com/.