Review of Isabel Marant Fall 2023 Fashion Show
Urban Elegance
By Mark Wittmer
While the after party got started before the show even ended thanks to the very cheered-on efforts of DJ and singer duo, Isabel Marant’s Fall 2023 collection itself didn’t play second fiddle: the outing sees the designer does what she does best and offer up an endlessly wearable wardrobe staples for the modern urban explorer.
The collection sees Marant do her job of executing the classics with her distinct urban-flow perspective, with the styling of the show going a long way to communicate the idea of endless personal possibilities.
Knit sweaters and dresses feature snaps at the neck and skirt hem, offering modular options and perhaps hinting a bit of sexiness. These pieces are layered under sensible, flexible, and classic outerwear pieces like trenches, bombers, and long coats, some of which get just a bit of off-kilter flair in terms of construction. Elsewhere, blazers are paired with jeans and leather jackets are worn over flowing dresses.
The sense of go-anywhere urban chic is fleshed out with workwear and motorcycle inspired pieces like a denim boiler suit and leather jackets lend a bit of streetwise edge. The ten or so (out of more than 50 – it’s a big collection) menswear looks peppered throughout the lineup seem to say, “hey, you can buy these pieces for your boyfriend, and he’ll look great, but you can steal them and look even better.”
The couple of looks with just tights on the bottom and heeled sandals with silky straps (maybe a play to the ballet-core trend?) feel a bit out of place and unnecessary, and their proportions don’t quite work.
Aside from that, the collection feels very cohesive in its chic urban eclecticism, like a window into the wardrobe of that aspirational kind of person who can look great just by quickly pull anything out of the closet in the morning and be good to go for the whole day.
