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PARIS, France — Julie de Libran spent her formative years in California, a fact that has rarely encroached on her design language at Sonia Rykiel until this season, when she settled upon the work of Parisian artist Nikki de Saint Phalle to inspire prints, proportions, and crafty embellishments.
De Saint Phalle was half American, and her work was striped, spotted and wildly colourful just like Sonia’s, so on paper, this could have spelled a match made in heaven. The results told otherwise; De Libran’s collection, despite ticking boxes when it came to house codes, trailed out as an over-decorated bohemian wardrobe tacked with feathers, rhinestones and naïve embroideries that skewed bulky whilst proposing unlikely styling combinations.
Pyjama silk and sequinned twin sets layered beneath fur coats and giant evening puffer jackets were part of the problem. Ultimately, the Rykiel woman is Rive Gauche not West Coast, and she'll likely stick to the tailored officer's coats or perhaps one of those cosy peplum knits.