Maiyet is at a crucial juncture. With eight Paris shows behind it, including today s, it s no longer the new kid on the block. The curiosity factor has started to wear off—an issue made clear by the empty seats at the label s Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild venue. It didn t help that the show was wedged into a difficult time slot between two big Paris tickets, but the point is that Maiyet will only succeed now if creative director Kristy Caylor can give it a distinctive voice.
Inspired by the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose work spanned the gap between Art Nouveau and modernism, the collection had a Dries-ian elegance, full of prints and embroideries, the difference being that Caylor operates in a significantly lower key. The clothes were mostly black and white, with touches of dusty pink. The embroideries were many, but subtly done: bronze roses picked out on a long black satin dress; a graphic grid of leather appliqués (picture a modernist stained-glass window) heat-fused to a tunic worn over a midi skirt. The collection sagged a bit when a series of structure-less floor-length silk shirtdresses came around: Most women want a little more support on a big evening. But the black and white knits handmade in Peru made a more substantial, bolder statement. Distinctive? Those sweaters were, definitely.
