Sadly the clouds are gathering on our summer wardrobes, and very soon the time for spaghetti-strap dresses, daisy dukes and cocaine whites will officially be over. Thankfully, god gave us Christophe Lemaire. And browsing the French designer's new collection of gorgeous fall '09 nomadic layering is enough to make us feel warm from the inside out. Lemaire isn't one to reach for bright clothes or flashy details, and the inspirational blurb on his website centers heavily around the word subtle. A perfectly draped woolen coat the color of crushed fallen leaves is definitely our idea of subtle brilliance, especially when it's paired with the coolest icy blue button-down.
Fashion genius aside, it’s worth visiting Lemaire's website in between seasons just to get a listen to his stylishly curated playlists. There is currently a track by Omar Souleyman on the site that syncs up almost seamlessly with the new collection, and feels like it should be the soundtrack for all the clothes we'll be wearing this fall. Lemaire cites Eastern and Western references, but clearly there is something inherently North African about the layers of collarless shirting, sweeping shawls and elegant cummerbunds. If the Berbers upped and left the Sahara tomorrow and hooked up their camels for a trip to the moon, then they would probably all be shuffling around lunar craters in his fall ’09 stockinged booties.
