Moncler Gamme Rouge (Q3424)
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Moncler Gamme Rouge is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Moncler Gamme Rouge |
Moncler Gamme Rouge is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
2006
designer
2008
creative director
“Dance is universal,” said dancer Nia Tao, following her cameo in the Moncler Gamme Rouge show. “And it’s inclusive; it’s not exclusionary like it was before—anyone can do it,” chimed in fellow dancer Nia Parker. “We’re all different shapes and sizes and colors,” added Alexis King. They were among the 12 “hiplet” ballerinas from Chicago who swaggered in pointe shoes down a runway invaded with giant disco balls, setting the scene for a collection that felt, well, very much on point. Back in February, Giambattista Valli was among the hundreds of thousands of people who learned of hiplet (pronounced like ballet) via Instagram when its founder, Homer Hans Bryant, posted a video of the girls practicing to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” The designer closed his Fall collection with the song a few weeks later, but remained “obsessed” with their unique approach. “All of the collection is [built] around them,” he declared after the show. “I told them, ‘I’m not the star of the collection; you are the stars of the collection.’ ” Essentially, he created the fairy-tale version of a dancer on the move: running to catch the subway in a lace blouson and bloomers; leaving rehearsal slightly dewy in a cropped down vest adorned with butterflies; throwing on a technical nylon jacket re-embroidered with a kimono motif en route to a Pilates class; going out after a performance in a black tulle baby doll dress. Let’s not forget that dancers typically express strong personalities when not in costume, which Valli sought to capture through looks that spanned from an Audrey Hepburn–esque trapeze coat with tulle trailing out underneath to aFlashdancefantasy of black undies and a cropped gray tee topped with a vintage-style feathered coat. Gray leg warmers and ballet slippers proved the great equalizer. Of course, for all the couture fabrications that come so naturally to Valli, dancers themselves don’t necessarily lead rarefied lives. Valli may have been hinting at that incongruity with the hip-hop soundtrack, yet the net result felt upbeat, not uncomfortable. That the hiplet dancers were embraced in the birthplace of ballet—albeit on the fashion stage, where diversity remains a work in progress—showed the many paths to promoting open-mindedness. They also happened to look great in their Moncler-ified leotards and French-flag tulle. Lastly, before the show began, a complete saturation of disco balls within the room created a glinting dreamscape in the manner of Yayoi Kusama.
But exit this theater, remove some of the tulle, and a large number of these delicately treated designs would prove useful even when a barre class isn’t involved. Call it ball-leisure and watch it catch on.
3 October 2017
As a Canadian based in Paris, I should have picked up on the messaging well before the men dressed as Mounties closed today’s Moncler Gamme Rouge show. Thinking back, there was the immersive staging of leaves spray-painted all shades of autumn to enhance this walk in the woods, the buffalo-check jacket more polished than the ones we wore at camp, and an extra-shaggy bomber in red and white.To my relief, Giambattista Valli clarified postshow that this outing wasn’t as purely Canadian as maple syrup or Ryan Gosling. Rather, his vision consisted of a Parisian girl heading out with her floral backpack of Coco-inspired performance tweeds and technical guipure lace blousons to experience an Indian summer. An idealized and convenient vision, sure; but as a narrative, it held up nicely. Anyway, this offering was far too chic and European-influenced to depict any vague notion of Canadian style.But what Canada stands for, to say nothing of its dashing prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is about as zeitgeist-y a topic as they come right now. And Valli was clearly taking a noticeably warm and comforting approach this season, even if the end result remained no less elevated than usual. Those patterned and embroidered knits were upgrades on sweaters most people reserve for a quiet weekend at the cottage. The outerwear and accessories, patterned in buds and blossoms that typically signal the end, not the start, of winter vaguely suggested the 1950s, while strongly bridging feminine silhouettes with the great outdoors. White tights, socks, and moccasins (updated with climbing rope laces or stripe) felt regressively childlike, but, for this very reason, pure and pleasing. Meanwhile, any of the backpacks—from the hyper-saturated photoprint landscapes to the fresh florals—are guaranteed to read well in stores (whether the roll-up mattresses will make it to retail is pending).Valli, who showed his unambiguously Parisian womenswear collection nearly 24 hours earlier, noted how this collection was defined by all the tweed variations—from cropped and worn over a quilted coat to double layered—as well as the embellished guipure lace. By doing so, he was unwittingly challenging any of the other outerwear behemoths (a Canadian among them) to step up their design. Ultimately, the clothes projected little of Canada, yet they arrived at a shining moment: its 150th anniversary as a nation. Valli insisted he had no idea (few outside the country do).
No matter, the collection read like a gift all the same.
7 March 2017
On the last day of Paris Fashion Week—of fashion month, if we pan out further—the Moncler Gamme Rouge collection was a declaration of support for France. Less a love letter than a stylized show of strength, the brand’s latest fashion escapade featured officers patrolling an indeterminate desert (10 tons of sand!), attired in French Foreign Legion uniforms that dialed up the luxe. From the chic kepis to the tricolor kicks, the looks signaled a less precious direction than recent seasons; this was sleek urban attire embellished with elements of historical and ceremonial dress.The label’s creative commander-in-chief, Giambattista Valli, deployed the references well, adding substance to the sport. The collection’s primary print combined archive architectural plans of buildings around 18th-century Paris. Basic red T-shirts boasted beaded bees, a key symbol for Napoleon; one couldn’t help but wonder whether Moncler Gamme Rouge was making empire overtures. All those flag iterations weren’t just patriotic; Moncler was born near Grenoble nearly 65 years ago, and guards its French heritage in spite of its Italian ownership. These have been its signature colors all along.With its bigger, bolder logos and slim yet relaxed shapes, the collection made a clear bid for younger recruits, whom Valli happens to know well thanks to his Giamba line. Wisely, he gave them multiple entry points: drawstring pants; handmade macramé lace warm-up jackets, gilets, and jogging shorts; and tailored service suits and tunics in technical duchesse or micro-taffeta (engineered to retain volume). The richly embroidered lace dresses at the end were empress outliers, a uniform for a modern Joséphine. “It’s vive la France. It’s a sign of support,” confirmed Valli, after models in blue-silver-red coats made their finaldéfilé, a word, incidentally, that refers as much to military parades as the runway.
5 October 2016
On the final day ofParis Fashion Week, a simulated mountain mise-en-scène atMoncler Gamme Rougeprovided a futuristic respite.Giambattista Vallihad Gstaad on the mind, specifically, the array of decorative elements found in Swiss chalets. It was a wise direction; all those St. Gallen embroideries, trimmings, lace, and leaf motifs meshed authentically with the elevated spirit of the line. Valli’s interpretations, however, took artistic license beyond the traditional; surface details in alternating accents of red, yellow, and sky blue were applied liberally to a backdrop of fil coupe, jacquard, alpaca, washed silk, and bouclé. This was haute couture at high altitude, accompanied by an electro-yodel beat. Indeed, the offbeat elements—shaggy cashmere goat breeches, black patent lederhosen, and blocky platform clogs—served as fun foil on the runway, even if they prove the least commercially viable. But then the final six looks were so festooned in prettiness, they should be bookmarked for a winter wedding, right down to the icy white stockings (Valli cited the 2014 nuptials of Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo as a starting point).Indeed, it’s easy to forget when watching the procession of such mod-meets-maiden silhouettes that the collection is largely designed to stand up to the elements, thanks to down-filled linings or water-resistant shells. Whether you’re buying one of these fancified Alpine-inspired coats to wear in Gstaad or Manhattan, you may not blend in with your surroundings, but you’re guaranteed to look luxe. As usual, the show ended with thematically aligned surprise guests: a troupe of 14 cowbell musicians called Les Battants de la Roche who are based in Fribourg, Switzerland. Anyone looking closely at their instruments would have noticed patterns that echoed right back to the clothes.
9 March 2016
The program notes described this latestMoncler Gamme Rougecollection as “Versailles meets Abstraction,” which doesn’t immediately call to mind luxe sportswear but does suggest something rather rarefied. And perhaps this has been the modus operandi of the Gamme Rouge range all along—yet it was never more apparent than today, when a mass of maidens ambled up and down a garden path (more enchantingly English than formal French) in looks that married haute couture with high performance.After a tender exchange with Lee Radziwill, creative directorGiambattista Valliexplained how a plumped-up slicker in technical lace, flounced dresses in embroidered PVC, a gray sweatsuit embellished with lilies of the valley, and a leotard in red jacquard all expressed varying degrees of the same elite inspirations: fencing and French châteaus. Indeed, when the bar is set this elegant, a parka is no longer a parka—it’s a rococo confection in guipure that happens to be rain resistant. “Moncler gives me the technical fabrications and the support, and I do it in an atelier way,” Valli noted as Bianca Brandolini d’Adda planted a kiss on his cheek.The designer conceded that the Spring offering always poses a greater point-of-view challenge than Fall because outerwear isn’t the customer’s priority. With this one, he plucked more elements from historical dress than usual; yet the floral-embroidered sneakers (and sneaker boots) kept the feeling decidedly fresh. Though there were quite a few dashing black looks for evening in the mix, such a predominantly white collection might send another message to his gilded lilies. Said Valli, “I love the idea that Gamme Rouge is sporty but you can get married in it.”
7 October 2015
The Moncler Gamme Rouge show ended with a parade of models in red riding coats escorted by dancers dressed as Queen's Guard soldiers. It was the type of campy grand finale that, on the final day of Paris fashion week, could have been a hallucination (Instagram, thankfully, confirms the contrary). But even the main attraction, enhanced by fog-machine vapors curling through a simulated forest floor, positioned the collection as something more than your everyday equestrian outing.Backstage, designer Giambattista Valli explained that the horsey milieu—from traditional British hunting attire to stylized jockey-esque uniforms—provided a more tailored template for Moncler's elevated range. Traditional tweeds, tartan, and mohair checks were transposed onto tech fabrics or spliced with luxe tinted skins. Despite additional constants—black knee-padded leggings, tightly tied scarves, bowl-shaped helmets—no two looks showed the same mix of layering, shearling patchwork, and skirt volume, as if defiantly countering the brand's core offering. Heraldic prints, mixed-material camouflage, fox panels like fluffy pony hair, and even a trompe l'oeil gold chain belt with a stable key ticked off any remaining tropes—minus an actual horse.Footwear, interestingly, dictated attitude, so flat barn boots corresponded to a sportier mod style, while a no-nonsense platform boot conjured a pedigreed provocateur. But because rain does not favor one archetype over the other, tinted transparent raincoats (and rainskirts!) bridged the divide and offered a new retail novelty that will perform well. As for the heat-sealed embroidered flowers ornamenting shoulders and dusting gilets, Valli said he sought to simulate petals falling from tree blossoms during a ride through the woods. In the end, a couture touch proved more evocative than a bearskin.
11 March 2015
Models at the Moncler Gamme Rouge show walked down a shimmery runway enhanced by a rippling water projection.You mean, they weren't walking on actual water?(Alas, no.) Even after last season's toned-down production theatrics, people half expected (possibly half hoped for) a return to the outlandish and eccentric today. Instead, Giambattista Valli steered his crisp vision due south to the Mediterranean, touching upon obvious nautical codes without resorting to clichés. And though it was a noticeably reduced offering—38 looks compared with Fall's 52—the collection packed in more surface detail and material innovation than last season's. Anchor chains that glinted with metallic thread wrapped around ingenue A-line dresses spliced with organza, and geraniums bloomed forth from waterproof, technical nylon jacquard. On the one hand, Valli reverted to the couture tradition of macramé guipure lace in lifeguard red; on the other, he reveled in the futuristic effect of allover striated, holographic sequins. And in some cases, Old and New World workmanship collided, as with a tech organza polo dress woven with a grosgrain-type stripe. The chain motif reappeared as foulards, whether tied around a shirtdress, its texture like dense terry cloth; twisted around heads; or as lining for knotted bucket bags. They were just one tactic employed by Valli to conjure Jane Birkin, whose insouciant spirit meshed well with the Moncler Gamme Rouge attitude of offbeat chic. A judicious use of mink, for instance, mimicked buoyant padding.For the final walk, there was a coda of bold parkas emblazoned with offset nautical flags. These were Valli's stylized take on spinnakers, and combined with the sneaker espadrilles they could have been Olympics opening-ceremony uniforms, done with flair. They half fulfilled what everyone had been waiting for: a performance.
1 October 2014
All the theatrics that have amped up the entertainment value at previous Moncler Gamme Rouge shows were MIA today—no huskies, simulated weather, or nearly nude gymnasts. If you wanted, you could watch the light boards running the perimeter of the space that projectedKoyaanisqatsi-style footage of urban and environmental scenes. But, with no disrespect to last year's canine models, the clothes needed to resume their role as star players. And sure enough, Giambattista Valli's three-part collection offered up the type of graphic and material dynamism (plus Pharrell-size fur hats) that will make any future polar vortex easier to endure.On average, coats hovered around the knees, which were almost always clad in sport leggings, their cuffs sheer and ankle-baring. The mixing made all the difference; a champagne-hued Persian lamb coat ringed with a triple stripe of pylon-orange mink opened the show. Midway through, in the droll-meets-drab UPS uniform grouping, a crocodile front gave way to a Persian lamb back. A fuller A-line coat bifurcated a camo print up top with a raw-edged Persian lamb skirt. Speaking of which, the prints came from graffiti artist Maurizio Cannavacciuolo, whose drippy effects and text-image interplay counterbalanced the haute fabrications and will likely find an eager audience among men (who will finally be able to purchase the Gamme Rouge runway looks this fall).Both men and women, though, will appreciate the all-purpose accessories, namely a croc card case dangling from a coat strap, baseball-beanie hybrid caps, and thick-soled slip-on sneakers. All three details might have gone unnoticed had you been distracted by a mise-en-scène.
4 March 2014
About a year ago, Suzy Menkes hosted one of herInternational Herald Tribunefashion conferences in Rome. This one had a strong emphasis on the future importance of Africa. Giambattista Valli took it all to heart. So here we are, eleven months later, with his new collection for Moncler Gamme Rouge and a show reflecting Valli's conviction that Africa has "the coolest, most eccentric people in the world."The catwalk was draped in vines, but sirens wailed and red lights flashed: This was clearly an urban jungle. Diversity has been a touch paper all season—Valli's multiracial catwalk mix of boys and girls, hip-hoppers and skaters felt like a natural assimilation of urban cultures. Anyway, Moncler already has a natural advantage in the sportswear stakes, so Valli's collage of couture feathers, snakeskin, and go-fast athleticism made sense. When worlds collide in a coat that mashes up leopard spots, mesh, and feathers, Moncler Gamme Rouge is what happens.The silhouette was as trim as a Valli girl could wish. And as sharp as a blue leopard tee paired with a pert striped skirt draped to one side. Consider for a moment that such a look shared the catwalk with a giant zebra-print duffel—Valli's marriage of form and function for Moncler has clearly opened up a whole other arena of design for him. His favorite look in this collection might be a match of cropped utility jacket and jodhpurs, some in silk, others in denim. Sure, the feathery froth spoke to the Valli we know, but this look suggested someone more interesting.
1 October 2013
When fur-clad walkers led huskies onto the runway at the start of the Moncler Gamme Rouge show, it was all veryGame of Thrones.Quite what it became when a couple of the gorgeous creatures slipped their leashes and took to the front rows was something else altogether. But in the end, it turned out to be mostly a petting-zoo moment, which coupled nicely with the clever, family-friendly spectacle staged by Giambattista Valli to celebrate his collection for Moncler. The big picture, according to the designer, was a love story between a snowflake and a polar bear. Nature surely dictates that such a relationship would be strictly taboo on any level you could imagine, but a frisson of the forbidden and a triumph over the impossible are at the heart of most fairy tales. It's all in the marriage of beauty and the beast. And so were Valli's clothes.He patchworked real pelts and photoprint furs in substantial parkas, accessorized them with hoods, mitts, and laced-upcuissardes(remember them? Word of the week) for a look that was full-on Philip Pullman fantasy. This being Moncler, there's little doubt that the outfits that followed were the very height of high performance, but Valli gave them an agreeably cinematic flair. Cape shapes helped. So did the fact that the prettily rosy-cheeked girls and rugged boys were just the types who would emerge from a Hollywood blizzard as a prelude to a happy ending. It came when the silvered, crystallized ice princesses were united with their ursine lovers. Enchanting!
5 March 2013
Last season it was the ski slope. Today, at Moncler Gamme Rouge, we were at the seaside in Positano, Italy. There was sand underfoot, and instead of a runway, the models circumambulated a wooden boardwalk where male gymnasts in white briefs and nothing else worked out on the rings and high bar. It was hard to take your eyes off the beefcake.The clothes were divided into three sections: First came a white group, then a photoprint of the light-dappled sea, and finally another photoprint of synchronized swimmers arrayed in a sunburst motif. The silhouettes, as befits hot-weather vacation clothes, were brief, and in the Giambattista Valli style, they were also cocoonlike in shape. Dense clusters of floral embroideries, another Valli signature, decorated the shoulders of one zip-front coat-dress, the hem of another, and every inch of a photoprint chiffon chubby.With the "sea" as a backdrop, Valli might have used the occasion to introduce water-ready swimwear—it seems like rather a natural fit for this maker of technical clothes for skiing. But with their embellishments, his suits were designed for sunbathing, not getting wet. Still, it wouldn't be a Moncler Gamme Rouge show without precipitation of one kind or another. After their workouts and before they made their exit, the nearly naked gymnasts cooled off with a shower.
1 October 2012
Moncler gives good show. Today, a couple inches of artificial snow dusted the runway; above it, designer Giambattista Valli had a working chairlift installed. Moon boot-ed male models stomped around the lift, toting skis, shopping bags, and suitcases. You got the sense that if Valli could've figured out how to fit a mountain inside the Couvent des Cordeliers venue, he would've had fun doing that, too.Instead, he printed piqué fabric with photos of snow-capped peaks and cut it into the cocoon coats he's been making for the Gamme Rouge label for several years now—which, by the way, happen to be the shape of the season. The models wore their hair in massive sixties-style bouffants or donned equally oversize Mongolian lamb hoods that matched their fluffy boots.Other toppers came in a blue-and-red windowpane check on ivory bisected by swathes of shearling, or in black bouclé. The most interesting part of the collection was the white group. Valli chose glistening fabrics that expertly mimicked the way sun reflects off frosty snow. That became especially clear when the models plopped themselves down under the spotlights and propped open their tanning reflectors.
5 March 2012
Smoke seeped from machines along the runway and bubbles and paper cherry blossoms fell from the ceiling at Moncler Gamme Rouge. That's a lot of competition, even for a collection of couture outerwear, but Giambattista Valli's jackets and coats held up. He divided the collection into three sections. The first featured photoprints of clouds in acid-bright colors made all the more hallucinogenic by the fact that the sheer fabrics were doubled up, giving the images a three-dimensional depth. Some were embellished with dense fringe in the same electric sunset shades. In the second group, the bubble shapes he's been doing for years at the label were made from double layers of organza with fluorescent yellow paillettes trapped inside; they glowed under the black lights. His third idea was to cut rosettes into the fabric of shirts and shifts in what could've been leather or a technical fabric—it was hard to tell for sure. These pieces were the biggest stretch from Moncler's sporty raison d'être, but under the swirling blossoms, they looked like a bit of fun.
3 October 2011
Neither snow nor rain nor wind machine can keep the Moncler Gamme Rouge girl from her sporty-chic outerwear. Giambattista Valli and his set designers threw all of that and then some at the models, a diverse bunch that included the likes of Loulou de la Falaise Klossowski and Kirsten Owen alongside the newbies. After almost a solid month of looking at fashion, it isn't necessarily easy to engage with a coat collection, so the runway pyrotechnics were a smart move. There's nothing like a little inclement weather to create a mood.Valli's jackets ran the gamut: parkas in color-blocked techno fabrics, silk evening puffers, neon furs, and his beloved leopard prints. To make sure the attention was on the outerwear, the models wore leggings and tall Dr. Martens. Danielle Z sported only a black sweater dress until a male model loaned her his parka and they strolled off the stage arm in arm. The couple that wears Moncler together stays together? With the way the models hustled and bustled, it wasn't always clear what you were looking at, but other than the plastic tinsel coats, everything seemed like it could hop off the runway and onto the street. You couldn't always say that about Gamme Rouge presentations before, which qualifies this one as a success.
7 March 2011
Moncler Gamme Rouge will go down as the most wonderfully wacky show of Spring 2011. Creative director Giambattista Valli usually stages an installation; this was performance art, complete with strobe lights, modern dancers in scuba masks, and not only a smoke machine, but also a wind machine and a parachute, too. Adding to the madcap mood were the models' towering turbans and Day-Glo lipstick. As for the clothes themselves? Given that this is Moncler, the outerwear brand, that we're talking about, they were coat-dresses, mostly, and recognizably Valli in their slightly sixties shapes, with cocooning egglike volumes. But that's only part of the story. Not unlike at his signature collection, the designer seemed interested in color-blocking and patchworks. In contrast with his own show, the colors in question were neons and the fabrics multicolor lamés that looked like candy foil wrappers. At least they did under the black light.
5 October 2010