Since last summer when I first discovered Christophe Lemaire’s eponymous collection, I developed an absolute admiration for his vision of sharp, sober and orientally-inspired clothing. His signature design obviously was subtly reflecting in his work at Lacoste and now at Hermès. In my last review, I compared Christophe Lemaire to Paul Poiret in the sense that individuality defines style and timeless elegance.

For the Autumn Winter 2011/2012 collection, the designer continued to revisit traditional oriental garments by transposing with classic Western key pieces. The one-button crossover tailored jacket is a hybrid between a classic men’s jacket with kimono. Same for the women where the classic three-piece suit has the loose-fitting of a Japanese robe in a fantastic black color that looks comfortable yet sophisticated. Contrary to his previous season, Lemaire developed a line of eclectic pieces that offers the flexibility to be fully satisfied with one key piece and develop infinite variations with your own wardrobe. A couple of wrap coats are very functional when transitioning the seasons. However, it is hard to resist wearing a full-ensemble when the styling in the photos look so effortlessly elegant and cozy. The color palette of ashy tones in full monochrome ashy colors may lack some punch for people on the brighter side. However the designer added some splashes of soft silky pink, white and yellow hues to a collection that eases contrasts with harmony. I wish I could visit the showroom in Paris to touch and tell more about the fabrics myself but my next trip to Paris is still in my dream list at this moment.

Overall, I appreciate the progression Christophe has made in experimenting and developing a subtle harmony between traditional garments and modern shapes, using different textures and adding an edge to it. This collection is probably darker than ever, with dominating sharp lines, and rich colors as if the designer was trying to get out of his comfort zone. Separately, I wanted to highlight how the great styling make it seem as the boots and the wide trousers were actually one piece. This detail totally struck my mind and would not be surprised to see this new look pop up on Street Fashion blogs.