Last year in Valencia, Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa completed a half marathon in 58 minutes and 32 seconds: his personal best. This evening in Paris, it took the Ethiopian athlete over an hour from the starting time of 6:30 pm to complete one approximately 250 meter circuit around La Monnaie de Paris’s courtyard. Equally off the pace was his fellow Ethiopian long distance runner Tamirat Tola. Neither, however, was injured; they were receiving a crash course in how to run fashionably late.
Grace Wales Bonner recruited both men to walk in a show that was crowded with guests including the famously fast Lewis Hamilton and the legendarily tardy Naomi Campbell. They were there as part of a mise-en-scene that Wales Bonner had constructed with signature completeness. The collection it encapsulated, entitled Marathon, was (said her notes) “an ode to long journeys and life missions. A celebration of soulful pursuits and inspired movement.”
Once off the starting blocks, the collection quickly found a steady rhythm alternating between Wales Bonner’s mainline and the looks produced as part of her ongoing brand partnership with adidas Originals. The tailoring, made with Anderson Sheppard, combined the usual impeccably dignified proportions with hand applied embellishments and elevated fabrication details. A denim suit with printed side stripes for men and a white jacket piped in silver beading for women with Wales Bonner’s preferred high collar were standouts here. An irregular hemmed cheetah spot vest in cowhide provided a jolt of contrast. Some white-piped pajama style shorts and a shirt printed with marigolds were a diverting detour.
Switching to sport there were of course sneakers, including a replica of the adidas Neftegna in which Haile Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon in 2008. Tamirat Tola won the pick of the tracksuits: fine knit and green and gold. There was an interesting interplay between sporting shapes and English country pattern that included a running poncho in tattersall and a ’70s running short in check. The post-finale turn by the athletes’ compatriot Haddis Alemayehu on the lute-like masinko was enchanting, but there were two more shows tonight. We had to run.
