For his AW24 collection, Jacquemus turns to New Wave film and Capri

Set to the music of Georges Delerue and held at the Casa Malaparte on the island of Capri, Simon Porte Jacquemus unveiled his latest autumn/winter 2024 collection, a spectacle that marked a 15 year anniversary for his eponymous French brand.

For the line, the designer drew inspiration from the iconic New Wave film ‘Contempt’, directed by the master of the genre, Jean-Luc Godard. As such, there were a variety of nods to the production, particularly in the use of yellow, the colour of an iconic dressing gown worn by actress Brigitte Bardot in the film, when she was beginning to despise her companion.

While minimalist dresses, Bermuda shorts, espadrilles, a head scarf and sunglasses also appeared in the famed hue, it was a coat that bore resemblance to the dressing gown format that truly evoked the film, draped below the shoulders of Jacquemus’ model.

For the rest of the collection, Jacquemus largely departed from this cinematic inspiration via silhouettes, some made in fluid jerseys with architectural shapes, a recurring element of the designer’s past collections. This was evidenced in an exaggerated A-line skirt, trapeze dress, Greek drapes, ruffled bustier, spectacular necklines, etc.

As always, the designer offered a palette of bright colours that elicited warm sand and the Mediterranean Sea. Yet it was a turquoise tone, a remarkable entry into the season, that will likely be the most talked about. Appearing in the form of a long fitted dress in transparent stretch silk, a slit on the side of a cascading train, the piece was also worn in the front row by the singer Dua Lipa (an image of whom is making rounds on social media). Already available for pre-order on the Jacquemus website at 990 euros, the dress could be the brand’s ‘it’ item of the summer.

Women, men, Italy and another way of being part of fashion

Many celebrities naturally responded “yes” to Jacquemus’ invitation to attend the event, women (Adèle Exarchopoulos, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laetitia Casta) and men (François Civil, Arón Piper), alike.

It must be said that Jacquemus’ approach is enough to arouse the enthusiasm of artists, as his way of thinking outside the box (in fashion week shows, unique locations and see-now-buy-now collections) stimulates ferocious appetites. In this regard, he indeed bears resemblance to the Swiss director, Godard, who also saw himself as a researcher, and to whom it is impossible not to refer among a place such as Capri.

It is particularly in Jacquemus’ menswear proposal of the show, which celebrates the brand’s 15th anniversary, that the designer pushes his artistic approach further with entirely zebra-print looks, colour blocking (green, navy, or Klein blue), loose Bermuda shorts with front pleats, tank tops, boat necks, airy dark denim pants or striped polo shirts.

Le Spiaggia and the Bombola: Two new bags by Jacquemus

This, however, could not overshadow the bags, a category in which the brand has found success. After the Chiquito and the Bambino, now came the Spiaggia (the ‘beach’ in Italian), a flat round basket bag in woven raffia, made in Madagascar, sold for 590 euros and available for immediate delivery. It was joined by the Bombola, an asymmetrical bucket bag, punctuated by a large sculpted magnetic ring, in black cowhide, sand or leopard jacquard colours.

On the topic of accessories, a notably strong segment for high-end brands, the Capri cat-eye rectangular sunglasses could also not be forgotten, once again referencing Bardot herself in her role as Camille, resembling another look she wore in ‘Contempt’ that was styled with a Tunisian fadhila dress. This piece also found a twin on the runway, minus the traditional collar and, on this occasion, worn by a man as a unisex sleeveless undershirt.

So, the question stands: could references to a cult film lead to a cult collection for Jacquemus? Ultimately, it is sales that will have the final world. Until then, business is business.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and edit by: Rachel Douglass.