A firm understanding of the French language (and maybe its humor) will be needed to get the dual meaning of Ami’s spring 2022 collection, titled Le Echapée Belle. Depending on context the phrase either means a great escape or a close call. It felt fitting for what Alexandre Mattiussi hopes will be his last lockdown collection. Set in an abandoned amusement park (a stage set created inside a Parisian arena for the collection’s film and look book), the runway takes on a mood at once eerie and joyous. We’re finally back at the party...but at what cost?
Even with such heavy matters on the mind, Mattiussi is not one to be weighed down. His carefree spirit is what has made his brand a favorite of pretty young things around the world; this fall he will open his first American store in New York. For spring, he cut a silhouette ready for partying, consisting of sheer crystal-strewn tops and dresses alongside leather bralettes and a singular pair of hot shorts. These slinky underpinnings were wrapped in ’80s-ish boxy blazers; guys and girls shared long roomy board shorts in tie-dye patterns. It’s not the most serious proposition for re-emergence dressing, but as one of Mattiussi’s simplest, most direct shows to date its slightly undone glamour feels right for this moment of uncertainty.
