Busted: look 13 in this 15th-anniversary Ami Paris collection is almost identical to a look from another show. “Yes, it’s true!” Alexandre Mattiussi confessed when called out tonight. His only defence? That original was also one of his, and this blatant act of self plagiarism was entirely unintentional. He said: “It was my very first look in January 2011. And I unconsciously redid it. The camel coat, the navy stripe and the white jeans. And two days ago I said to my team ‘this reminds me of something… Come on.’ When I realized, I couldn’t believe it myself. But I still put it on my board.”
Hmm. Call me a cynic, but it’s possible that tonight’s repetition wasn’t quite as unconscious as Mattiussi professed. Either way, his homage revealed that while Ami has stayed true to its original spirit— tonight, just as when he started, Mattiussi was talking about real Parisians, people-watching in cafes, wearability, energy, and fun—it has also evolved. The peak lapel camel coat was cut a little longer, and sat much more beautifully on the shoulders of its model. The Breton-style marinière sweater had a white collar (not navy) and was softer of yarn and more lustrously pliant. There was a purposefully dishevelled chambray shirt that had not been there the first time round. The Chelsea boots were black patent, not greasy brown, and chunkily soled. And finally, the white jeans had a crisp crease down the front, French prep style, and were much more considered in silhouette. Same, sure, but better. “C’est dan les vieux pots que l’on fait les meilleures confitures,” the designer cryptically commented.
Ami has become a lot of people’s jam since those start-up days, and this collection revealed how far Mattiussi has spread it. His play tonight was that when placed together the clothes should be as infinitely mix-and-matchable as there are pattern combinations on a Rubik’s cube (hence the Rubik knit). There were a lot of red accents to circumflex in, covering lips, jersey track pants, hosiery, argyle cardigans, a Bardot gingham dress, check scarfs, logo caps and more, all there to reflect the heart logo that has become a prime brand signifier. A red sweater in the exact shade also featured in that first ever collection. A real Rubik’s cube contains black only around its squares, but tonight Mattiussi stretched his metaphor to accommodate two peplum-ed womenswear tops, a black parka and shorts (with shirt and tie) menswear look, quarter zip fleeces, satin collared evening overcoats: even at its friendliest, black is non-negotiable in Paris.
Faux croc skirts and jackets, patched ponyskin coats in camel or leopard, pleat-panted roomy tailoring, geezerish camel and white herringbone jackets, clean oversized denim separates, great coats with oversized epaulettes, and some engagingly geeky gum soled runners were amongst the many other wardrobing highlights. The show’s level of styling, casting, and production would surely have seemed fantastical to the Mattiussi of 2011. This was a collection you could see living happily with a demographic spanning youthful boomers to classically inclined alphas. And, of course, Mattiussi said it was his favorite.
