Taking on a revered brand, one that borders on cult worship, is no small feat, especially when you’re a newcomer still earning your stripes in steering the creative destiny of a fashion house. Stefano Gallici stepped into the role of creative director at Ann Demeulemeester after a string of designers failed to spark the long-awaited resurrection, which means every move he makes is watched with extra-sharp eyes. This pre-fall collection was only his second, as he continued to test his instincts against the jittery, ever-shifting realities of today’s fashion consumption.
Gallici is too cool to be purely reverential about the house’s past. Instead, he’s constructing his own pantheon of references and muses. A committed music buff, he’s an obvious match for a brand shaped by rock stars and the music world’s mythology, but he’s not content to live off that legacy. He’s looking for new catalysts that align with his taste and with that of his generation, like model and musician Jamie Bochert, and Johnny Depp. “It’s more about attitude than about a character wearing the brand all the time,” said Gallici.
Pre-collections are usually the well-behaved siblings of the runway, more practical echoes of the show’s louder declarations. Gallici, however, set out to make pre-fall a little less predictable, caring less about the calendar and more about statement pieces with staying power. He mined the house’s greatest hits, most notably its famously slouchy silhouettes, but added his own cool. The suiting template nodded to “Nick Cave’s archetypal tailoring,” sharpening the drape while keeping a whisper of casual ease. Trousers were rethought into neat flares, and Gallici’s favorite Victorian dark-romantic flourishes returned as detachable lace collars on trailing sheer velvet dévoré gowns. Napoleonic jackets appeared in pinstriped wool, a classic ’96/’97 slouchy blazer made a clever comeback, and varsity bombers alongside plays of deconstruction kept a lively dialogue between past and present. Gallici summed it up neatly: “Charisma, with a dash of nonchalance.”
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