If there is one garment that defined 2022, it was the miniskirt. But while it was the Miu Miu mini that dominated Instagram feeds and magazine covers everywhere, it is Andre Courrèges—founder of Courrèges—who remains widely credited as one of the two designers who first popularized the silhouette in the 1960s.

This season, Courrèges’ women’s pre-collection hearkens back to the brand’s ’60s fame. With short hemlines, cut-out details, and knee-high boots, Nicolas Di Felice—Courrèges current Artistic Director—has found a way to pay homage to the brand’s heritage while maintaining a contemporary point of view.

 

 

 

 

Courrèges history is steeped in a modern, futuristic sensibility and marked by impeccable structure. Andre Courrèges trained under Cristobal Balenciaga for a decade before opening his own couture salon in 1961. There, he became a master of cut and construction, fostering the eye for clean, geometric lines that his name has become synonymous with in the decades since.

Di Felice came up in the industry similarly, training under Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton after a brief stint under Raf Simons at Dior. In this collection, it is clear that the times have caught up to Courrèges’ signature style; it feels decidedly contemporary, but not so much that it’s unfamiliar. The models are styled in side-parts after all.

 

While the collection is predominantly neutral, it is punctuated by a cool-toned pink along with sheer fabrics, skin-tight boots, and sharp collars. That said, the consideration of detail at each line keeps the garments from feeling too sharp or cold.

Notably, on the asymmetric, body-hugging dresses, a loose elastic strap falls across the left shoulder, extending the line from the opposite shoulder down the arm. It’s a choice offers a soft, playful element to a look that might otherwise be sharp. It feels casual, even intimate, making it my favorite touch across the collection.

In a slight shift from the moon boot and gogo boot styles of Courrèges’ past, the triangular pointed toe of the kitten heeled boot, along with the circular earrings, and dramatic cuts—be it a thigh-high slit or a clean-cut lapel—offers elegance to otherwise mod pieces.

 

 

 

Inspired by the ways in which we all bend to the pull of our electronic devices, many of the models featured in the collection are shown looking at their phones. Di Felice explained that he designed this collection with phone use (and self-surveillance) in mind. That said, there are zippers in the sleeves of some of the garments, allowing for improved arm mobility.

To that end, styling the collection with cellphones accomplished a similar sensibility to that of the brown paper shopping bags carried in Matthiew Blazy’s most recent show for Bottega Veneta; they imbue the collection with a sense of wearability by offering proximity to “real life.” In that sense, the collection aligns with Di Felice’s design philosophy—he doesn’t want his collections to be an exercise in personal fantasy, he wants his clothes to be worn.