Nicolas Di Felice’s Courrèges SS24 show was an interplanetary look into the brand’s trend-forming trajectory with a club-kid-infused coolness.
Models took to a set which mirrored the rocky debris-covered surface of the moon as part of its (literally) groundbreaking display, where models’ heels punctured the powdery plasterboard surface of the set.
More than just an excellent in-show stunt, which Di Felice has become known for (last season, models rose from the fog), it served as a much deeper exploration of the Courrèges brand. Founded in Paris in 1961 by André and Coqueline Courrèges, the label pioneered a disruptive approach to women’s fashion, including the pioneering space-age trend, which saw women wear helmet-shaped hats, insulated dresses and sleek silhouettes in neutral colourways.
For its SS24 show, the French house took us back to the future to revisit the trend. Models wore bulbous earrings in gleaming silver and carried leather bags in the same shape. One look paired a white skirt, which fell below the knee and was worn over the top of trousers in the same hue, with a transparent plastic bra. It was matched with open white open-toed heels and accessorised with clear plastic jewellery to further the mission.
As part of the conceptual collection, silver was also used to accent bustier-style tops with leather belts fixed across the shoulders. The intergalactic colourway was used to craft reflective dresses which enveloped models’ arms, worn with heeled sandals to complete the look.
Later outfits saw models dressed in figure-hugging white tops and leather mini skirts in a further nod to the brand’s origins, which is widely considered to have introduced the mini skirt to the mainstream.
Dresses hung loose from the shoulder and flared from the waist, with the silhouette seen throughout the show. Amelia Gray’s look saw this silhouette crafted from textured leather and paired with thigh-high boots, with a lightbulb necklace hanging from the model’s neck.
Nod’s to Artistic Director Nicolas Di Felice’s time spent on the dancefloor could be seen too. Zippered dresses were left undone to create a flowing, deconstructed profile, with silver hardware contrasting to the black material make-up, looking as prepared for the rave as the runway. Leather trousers and vests featured buckle detailing and served a club-ready sensuality, with leather jackets worn off the shoulder and skirts lapping the edges of tall crocodile leather boots.
Di Felice took to the helm of the French house in 2020 after previous roles at Balenciaga, Dior and Louis Vuitton. He studied at La Cambre fashion school in Brussels, producing floor-filling techno tracks alongside his studies. A regular club-goer himself, Di Felice has often looked to the hedonistic escape of the dancefloor for inspiration. His debut collection was titled “I Can Feel Your Heartbeat” and was produced in honour of the club kids who were locked inside due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Post-lockdown, the designer has made a name for throwing some of the best parties in fashion week, often in underground car parks and soundtracked by thumping techno into the early hours. His rhythmic collections are a perfect fit for Courrèges, which has music woven into its DNA, being one of the first shows to present collections with music back in the 1960s.
Courrèges SS24 womenswear collection had one foot in the past and another in the present, as it re-wrote historic looks from the brand’s history. Nicolas Di Felice played with structure and materials and showed a club-ready Courrèges perfect for a new generation.
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