Officine Générale’s Pierre Mahéo said some interesting things backstage after his excellent spring show: “I wanted it to be simple, but when it gets too simple, it’s boring, so you sort of need to trick it with styling.” He added, “I didn’t want undressed, I wanted downdressed.”
Those sentiments underscored what the collection upheld: a languid fundamentality that didn’t go so minimal that it disengaged the eye. Rather, Mahéo made a strong case that purity in form can still come with a little flair and dazzle.
The beautifully cast show opened with a black-and-white-toned palette and paired tailoring, foulards, and loose, almost pajama-esque shirting. Waistbands were elasticized; socks and garters were knee-high—it clashed undone and done up nicely, but fell, impression-wise, on the simpler side of things, which was exactly Mahéo’s intention.
Mahéo also mentioned, in his show notes, that a “cold and rainy” winter in Paris led him to inject a bit of warmth into the mix. Enter ultraviolet and teal tones, tank tops, and breezy shorts. Officine Générale is known for elevated essentials, yet this all felt truly summery—like Mahéo was exhaling, and finding a new stride of easygoing magic in the moment.
