Paris Fashion Week Men's: The most Instagrammable moments from Jacquemus from lavender fields to micro-bags

Spring/summer 2020 show staged in rolling lavender fields

(Rex)

Fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus celebrated his brand’s 10th anniversary with a runway show made for Instagram.

On Monday, Jacquemus staged his spring/summer 2020 show, which comprised both menswear and womenswear for the first time, during Paris Fashion Week Men’s.

But, instead of hosting the catwalk in the hustle and bustle of the French city, the 29-year-old designer whisked a throng of editors and influencers to the small town of Valensole in the South of France.

From the picturesque setting and the vibrant colour palette to the shifting shapes and sizes of the accessories, the collection sent Instagram feeds everywhere into a frenzy.

Here are the best moments from Jacquemus’ spring/summer 2020 show.

The invitations

Before the guests, including models Emily Ratajkowksi and Jeanne Damas, even arrived they were given a clue as to what to expect from Jacquemus’ debut unisex offering.

Each invitation came in the form of a travel-size bottle of SPF 50 sunscreen printed with the words “Le Coup de Soleil,” or “The Sunstroke” in English — something that proved to be a very real prospect after France experienced a heatwave on Monday, with temperatures rising to 40C in some regions.

The location

To celebrate the label’s 10th anniversary, Jacquemus staged his spring/summer 2020 show in a dreamlike field of lavender in Valensole – a part of Provence known for its abundance of the purple flowers.

An hour’s drive north of Aix-en-Provence, guests arrived in rolling lavender fields which were set against the striking backdrop of the Alpilles mountain.

Speaking to WWD, Jacquemus said he chose this locations because he wanted it to look “like a postcard”.

Jacquemus often celebrates his beloved South of France where he grew up. The French fashion designer's autumn/winter 2020 collection was dubbed, "La Collectionneuse", and was a tribute to his hometown of Mallemort.

The hot pink runway

Jacquemus intercepted the abundance of lavender with a hot pink runway that unfurled far into the distance.

The designer said he chose this particular colour so that the scene would pay homage to contemporary art installations by Christo and David Hockey’s The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire, in 2011.

“With this runway, some people will only remember the lavender,” Jacquemus told Vogue.

“Others will see the similarity with the Hockney painting. I want everyone to understand my work.”

The saturated colour palette

The name of the show, “Le Coup de Soleil”, didn’t just inspire the show’s eccentric invitations but also its sun-drenched colour palette.

Speaking to Vogue, Jacquemus described the moodboard for the collection as “like a tequila sunrise”, which was an obvious nod to the lashes of vibrant hues he incorporated into the clothes.

Everything from oversized blazers and halterneck dresses to bralettes and board shorts were engulfed by lively shades of lime green, orange, yellow and aqua blue.

The larger-than-life hats

At the designer’s spring/summer 2019 runway, the 29-year-old debuted Le chapeau Bomba – a handcrafted straw hat measuring over 30cm high and nearly 60 cm wide.

The popularity of the hat, worn by Rihanna and Jessica Chastain on social media, resulted in its own fan art on Tumblr and more than 300 posts for the tag #jacquemushat on Instagram.

This season, the designer presented version 2.0 of the massive accessory by making it that little bit more wearable.

While still oversized, spring/summer 2020’s pendulous hats finished at the model’s shoulders while others chose to hold theirs in hand, sweeping it across the floor as they sashayed down the runway.

The intoxicating prints

This season, Jacquemus explored his love of show-stopping prints with a collection that boasted 35 motifs compared to just three in the last collection.

Among the printed, embroidered, and laser-burned patterns were cornflower blue and white blooms that appeared on formfitting dresses and short-sleeved shirt, while orange and pink flowers decorated boxy jackets.

Elsewhere, neutral checks tempered the vibrancy of the colour palette, while a bold artichoke print nodded to his family roots in farming.

The novelty accessories

When Jacquemus first showed the “Mini Chiquito” bag at his autumn/winter 2019 show in Paris, a million memes were born. So, it makes sense that it would return for another season.

In addition to the ludicrously tiny purses which dangled from models fingertips, Jacquemus presented an array of new novelty accessories.

This season’s offerings included bags shaped like biscuit tins and lavender sachets, straw carryalls with coloured leather handles and a towering cotton tote that sat heavily on a model’s shoulder and finished at her knee.