Thomas Monet continued to sharpen Cool TM’s messaging with a brightly hued, tongue-in-cheek collection inspired by a slightly seedy seaside resort. “Miami meets Palavas-les-Flots” was how he described it. (For international observers unfamiliar with the latter, it is a past-its-best tourist hub on the Mediterranean west of the Camargue, a world away from its Riviera counterparts in ambiance if not distance.)
A giant ice cream cone, surfboards, deck chairs and branded ice boxes set the scene in the basement of the Palais de Tokyo, and there was even a bodybuilder complete with fake tan lines.
While he lifted weights, the models lounged nonchalantly, their wide track pants in neon hues with glitter logos and lace side seams. One such design sported a silk negligé hanging — negligently — around the waist, an example of how Monet’s ability to play with codes — and silhouettes — shone through.
He worked tweed fabrics into bright, chunky hoodies and brightly printed silk shirts were twisted to become skirts. Wide-shouldered, double-breasted suiting — a nod to “Miami Vice,” said Monet — was layered, a long pencil skirt with a zipper opening worn over pants, in canary yellow or white. For a grungier look, there was a wide tartan cotton pant/shorts combo, to pair with a cross between a yellow denim vest and biker jacket, while for lovers of louche glam, there was a glittering matching combo of navy velvet lounge pants and pussy-bow top.
