J.M. Weston’s charming display for a new collection of women’s couture loafers is enough to make one nostalgic for physical fashion shows — though perhaps not for those rickety, spine-numbing wooden chairs many designers favor.
“It’s our moment of haute couture,” said Saillard, guiding a visitor through the installation, which will remain for about three months, the first of a series of exhibitions to entice and entertain visitors, and also share brand lore. Saillard conceived the couture collection during lockdown, realizing “it’s practically a luxury just to walk.”Especially a walk in nature, the leitmotif of all the couture interventions sprouting on the toe box of loafers: jutting water lilies in black leather for Charlotte Rampling, and not-yet-fully-opened tulips in burgundy-colored leather for Amira Casar. Saillard also encircled ankles with thorny branches or leafy garlands, and replaced tassels with delicate fronds of fern or pea pods.