Elisa Sednaoui walked into the Palais de Chaillot this morning wearing a coat from Haider Ackermann s recent men s collection. With Ackermann, there has always been a symbiosis between masculine and feminine, but if he was touting his dandyism at his men s show in January, this women s collection was pulled way, way back. Here, he seemed to be reconsidering his signature sumptuousness; the jewel-tone colors and metallic sheen of silks along with the sheer tulles of last season were replaced by a palette of grays, taupes, and browns, and substantial menswear woolens like an oversize pied-de-poule. More evidence of Ackermann s new mind-set could be found in the ribbed knit of a slouchy sweater and matching pants, as well as the washed cotton sweatshirt material he used for zip-front jackets. Not that he s completely abandoned his more decadent instincts: Those hoodies were lined generously with fox fur. His "jeans," meanwhile, combined gunmetal python skin and olive green wool.
The restrained mood was cued by a soundtrack of Schubert s Piano Trio in E Flat from The Hunger. There s something quite haunting about that music, but it s stately, too, and that s a good way to think about Ackermann s new eveningwear. In the past, his gowns have often been more dishabille, the advisability of which was in serious question. Today there was a fairly chaste flash of skin on a long dress that married a tailored jacket above the waist to a bias-cut silk skirt. It was provocative, but retained its elegance. Ackermann did some hard thinking about his clothes this season; this was a canny evolution.
