Arriving to Paris in the ’90s, I experienced the city with fresh eyes, much like Alber. Of course, it’s easy to get swept up in mythic ideas of culture and beauty.
And that nowhere else is fashion taken so seriously. Yet whenever I observe how Parisian women dress, style is signalled with insouciance. Nothing appears forced. In a similar way, I am always delighted when I see couture surfacing within everyday life. I like considering the incongruities and energy of this convergence that is unique to Paris – and how women everywhere can identify somewhere within the mix. — Lutz Huelle.
For his third story as an Amigo, Lutz Huelle builds upon the ideas that have begun to define his contribution to AZ Factory. As the only recurring designer so far, he brings both intuition and cohesive vision to our fashion incubator. This season, Paris takes centre stage – a beloved influence that is explored anew through enticing looks that emphasise ease.
Let’s dress up and get on with it. This is the attitude embedded in every look, whether an asymmetric dress ridged with ruffles that dance around the body, or a denim suit in a grayscale wash. Saturated shades of fuchsia and red create an instant connection to couture; only now, they exude a lighter personality – a soupcon of pop, a lipstick kiss.
Glamour meets the street throughout the line-up. Leopard emerges like a chic throughline: as a lustrous sequin surface on a slinky column dress, as a textured jacquard, or as fluid trousers and tops that mix with tailoring or sporty bomber jackets. Other surfaces glisten and shine with sequin treatments, from a classic men’s shirt in crisp poplin to wintry knit sets.
Silhouettes are designed to be alluring yet versatile: a ruffled skirt encircling a poloshirtdress; soigné pyjama ensembles; a classic poplin shirt juxtaposed with an asymmetric skirt that reveals the leg; trousers spliced with a fine lace tuxedo trim; a cropped sweatshirt laserprinted with the same lace motif. What appears as dark blue denim is actually a lighter viscose, lighter in weight and easier to drape. Black extends from day to evening. Short cocktail dresses come alive with flounces while longer dresses in more generous volumes flirt through movement.
If the femme fatale remains a quintessential Parisian archetype, then the AZ Factory with Lutz version reimagines her with a wardrobe that can be mixed dynamically and worn to reflect her ever-changing whims. A fresh spin on seduction, a lasting style.
