A trip to Japan inspired Alithia Spuri-Zampetti, Creative Director at PAULE KA, for this second collection for the Parisian Maison.

A summery dream composed of fifty looks, set within the lush greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes, where austere Japanese culture meets all desires of fluidity. Welcome to a symphony of tropical colored dresses, where the work of the Maison’s atelier adorns the PAULE KA woman: a ‘modern couture’ spirit, that reveals a constant desire for sophistication.

PURE PRECISION

A walk through the heart of a Japanese fantasy comes to life in a crescendo of colour. A dream of textures and fabrics, where the strictest of lines juxtapose the most romantic shapes. This journey starts with a tribute: when Serge Cajfinger created Paule Ka almost 30 years ago, his very first outfits were inspired by masculine tailoring, including a blazer from which he removed the shoulder pads, as a reaction to the overly broad fashion of the 1980s. This inspiration provided the starting point for a new exercise in style. In Alithia’s hands, suiting is transformed as the white gabardine of a classic jacket is reinterpreted into long draped dresses and soft, tailored separates, structured with obi inspired belts.

A PLAY ON STRIPES

The Japanese metamorphosis continues with a study on warp and pleats, as inspired by the classical art of origami: Japanese cotton cloth appears as radiant shots of colour, folded and engineered in multiple ways, using darts, flat bows or cuts, expressing a vibrant but elegant femininity. The same meticulous method is repeated in striped jacquard, coloured in three different harmonies.

COUTURE FLOWERS

Slowly the inspiration of the kimono reveals itself. Floral prints and opulent jacquards created in Como, cut thread organza and lavish embroideries of overdyed and handmade petals, compose a series of dresses ans seperates. In a profusion of luxurious fabrics, 1950’s inspired lines create spectacular couture volumes, a once feminine and sophisticated.

SHADES OF COLOUR

The final silhouettes take their inspiration from the gradient linings of antique kimonos. These delicate, hand dyed textile inspired silks that were developed in France by carefully folding and dipping each piece up to four times, revealing a spectrum of multicolour tones. In this journey to a Japanese fantasy, femininity is at its height. Flying over the canopy of this idyllic greenhouse, these dresses are birds of paradise in shades inspired by the gardens of Japan.

ACCESSORIES

Multi-coloured sandals with feathered tassels and petals, water snake pumps, shoes adorned with jacquard or fringes, sculpted heels with meat petals and velvet accents… Feathers float off earrings and belts, or are embedded in the heel of a shoe, while clutches are embroidered with petals. From stripes to jacquards, the accessories extend this summer dream.