Ann Demeulemeester Fall Winter 2023 – Collection at PFW, Ludovic de Saint Sernin's debut show

Ann Demeulemeester Fall Winter 2023 – Collection at PFW, Ludovic de Saint Sernin Debut Show

Authorship and autobiography tie Ludovic de Saint Sernin to Ann Demeulemeester: fashion-making as an authentic act of self-involvement. Ann Demeulemeester Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 collection evolves out of a feeling of intimacy and respect that acknowledges Ann’s legacy and heritage through the eyes of a new author. It takes the shape of a love letter in thirtysix looks, each one a heartfelt sentence. Words that are ideally written with a quill, or a feather: a detail Ann loved, which Ludovic has made anew in leather. His first-person reading of a distinctive lexicon is rooted in the foundations of the house, but the instrument used is new.

Sensuality, silhouette, ambiguity, wildness pace the sentences Ludovic de Saint Sernin is writing. The collection spans the space that goes from surrender to rejection. Streamlined and graphic, the look suggests closeness and intimacy.

An equestrian hint provides a frame and a frisson; saddlery details are interspersed among tailoring and flou. Nails become rings, heels are spiky, knits are fashioned into liquid shapes. The chromatic spectrum expands from the familiar black to faux blacks such as burgundy and aubergine. Confidence and discipline are touched with halos of abandon: a tension released in a taut, liquid line.

Writing a letter is always about the sender just as much as it is about the receiver. It’s an encounter, an exchange In this collection – Ann Demeulemeester Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 collection, word after word, Ludovic de Saint Sernin keeps finding himself in Ann, while maintaining his distinctive sense of self. It’s an intro, a preamble, and as such, to be continued.