\n<\/p>\n
When Pierre Mah\u00e9o and his team puts a pre-collection together, they do it with a see-now-buy-now mindset. That came in especially handy this week, as the Officine G\u00e9n\u00e9rale spring pre-collection was presented during the biggest, earliest heatwave Paris has seen in modern meteorological history.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a very particular exercise,\u201d Mah\u00e9o said of the process. \u201cFashion\u2019s always projecting without taking the time to read the room. There\u2019s this constant jostling for newness. But that means you risk overlooking products that work quietly over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giving things a chance to settle in has proven to be Officine G\u00e9n\u00e9rale\u2019s superpower. It does brisk business in trousers (the classic Hugo has been a bestseller for years); ditto a lineup of supple Tencel shirts that circles back, but slightly differently, every couple seasons or so. In that spirit of continuity came a chino story that hews close to the famed French bleu de travail, or worker blues. By zeroing in on the wash and mounting the fabric in reverse\u2014twill face inside\u2014Mah\u00e9o and his team landed on jacket and trouser shapes that feel preloved: slightly longer, a smidge wider, the shoulders slightly adjusted. \u201cIt\u2019s our alt to trawling the Puces,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n
Another trouser in Japanese cotton twill was cut ample but more subtly than a barrel leg to modernize the silhouette without going extreme. Further along, a drawstring trouser in linen, wool and silk, paired here with a double-breasted jacket, was designed to offer men a \u201cnew suit spirit,\u201d Mah\u00e9o said. Those will work better in creative fields and relaxed environments than in a buttoned-up office\u2014for that setting, there\u2019s a new suit in ottoman fabric\u2014but the chino carpenter pants, an idea tweaked subtly for either gender, will go pretty much anywhere. So, too, will 100% cotton denims cut slim but not tight, which Mah\u00e9o described as \u201csimple to look at but really tough to get right.\u201d<\/p>\n
For women and men alike, light washed denim separates nodded to the American West but somehow kept a faint French accent. Artfully patinated suede jackets staked out territory somewhere between jean jacket and blazer. A poplin pajama pant with drawstring ankles was a rare nod to trends. The baseline here was revisited-classic-with-interest, for example knit polos or a front\/back V-neck sweater inspired by Jane Birkin, modeled in the showroom with a flared skirt. On a dressier note came black trousers cut so ample they looked like a skirt, set lower on the waist and worn here with a polka-dot cardigan. A relaxed tux with a fitted jacket, vest and gently flared trousers looked perfectly timeless, which is the whole point. Next year, Officine G\u00e9n\u00e9rale will celebrate 15 years in the business\u2014no small feat for an indie in the land of mega-brands.<\/p>\n