When Vautrait designer Yonathan Carmel said his collection was about Paris, he didn’t mean that the city was a backdrop for a collection that could slot in anywhere in the world.
Having spent a few formative years shuttling between the French capital and his hometown of Tel-Aviv, not only did Parisians and their style leave an imprint on him, but he also became attuned to the unique assortment of crafts that led to these looks.
“I’m trying to show something that is not global,” he said in a preview. “In the last few years, I noticed that everything has become a bit ‘international’ and commoditized, which to me is almost like designing in a void because territory has meaning.”
Cue a wardrobe that served as an evocative portrait of debonair Parisian chic. Carmel’s tailoring skills were used to great effect to give of-the-moment proportions to oversized leather blousons thrown over silk dresses; blazers pulled in to conform to feminine contour, or tailored slacks and trenchcoats cut nonchalantly loose.
If there was a whiff of vintage to the whole affair, an impression furthered by a hardy textile palette, that’s also intentional.
“I’m trying to revive a past that never existed,” Carmel added. “During the LVMH Prize [semifinals process], I realized that maybe when something feels old and new at the same time, then time doesn’t matter.”
