Painting women in colors, Paul Poiret once unshackled the body—turning corsets into relics, turning fabric into fireworks. A century later, Alphonse Maitrepierre answers back, not with nostalgia, but with a wink, a spell, a wardrobe alive with illusions. An ode to the self-proclaimed Sultan of Style, we’re delving into a game of mirrors, mischief, and metamorphosis. For Spring–Summer 2026, Alphonse Maitrepierre steps into this charged atmosphere and responds to Paul Poiret not as a student but as a co-conspirator.
A palace of whispers, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs pauses in time to converse with echoes of the past. Rather than a linear show, the collection unfolds like a visual riddle, slipping between eras: zouave trousers borrowed from the 1910s, bows mesmerizing to a dollhouse, feathers that never belonged to birds, and trompe-l’œil illusions trick the eye: plunging necklines that are not what they seem. A mad crush for the destructured and amplified trench jacket, a must-have for my urban peripeteia.
Accessories amplify the story. In collaboration with VISAGES, eyewear emerges like artifacts from a parallel era — equal parts retro and sci-fi. On the runway, models morph into fantastical beings, as though Poiret’s muses had wandered into a digital dreamscape. Shoes, developed with Parisian shoemaker CAREL, complete the tale: eight sandals, playful and sculptural, reimagine the brand’s 1952 icon. Their surfaces shimmer between glossy and matte, heritage and innovation, while mischievous creatures inspired by La Fontaine’s fables — and, if you look closely, the occasional mouse with impeccable taste — seem ready to spring from heel to stage.
Maitrepierre’s ecological stance is as integral as his aesthetic one. You get a cool point for that. The entire collection is crafted from deadstock or certified materials, sourced through Nona Source, and transformed with the technical expertise of Teinturier de France. Ozone treatments, laser cutting, and embroidery in two and three dimensions create pieces that are as experimental as they are sustainable.
“En plein cœur“, is not a nostalgic tribute, nor a futuristic prophecy. As a celebration of imagination in motion, the collection conjures worlds where garments are storytellers, fabrics breathe, and characters slip effortlessly between reality and fantasy.
