Longchamp Spring 2015 Collection

Wow, I love the Longchamp Spring collection. 

The sporty feel that is evident throughout, makes this look the perfect summer collection, easily taking you from day to night, just by adding a pair of heals and clutch bag.  Artistic Director Sophie Delafontaine sums up the feel of the collection when she described it as, “Freshness and light”.

The fresh mood is summed up by the collection’s striking reinterpretation of sportswear codes.  “We translated the idea in two ways,” explains Delafontaine, “either by subverting a sophisticated cut with a sporty fabric, or by elevating a sporty shape with a sophisticated fabric.”  She cites an elegant sleeveless dress with a softly gathered skirt which is given a relaxed twist in cotton piqué, and a sweatshirt-style top which, conversely, is dressed up in polyester satin with sheer organza inserts.

Light infuses the collection’s two contrasting themes: the heavenly glow of the Northern Lights inspires a palette of cool, at times almost fluorescent pastels – pale pink, aquamarine, neon yellow – which are combined with black and white; the more intense light of the South is translated in bold, saturated shades of red, coral and deep blue.

“No Longchamp collection would be complete without a standout piece in leather, which is,” says Delafontaine, “in our DNA.”  This season, the Artistic Director picks out two: a sporty short-sleeved blouson in the butter-soft métis leather used for Le Pliage Cuir (the design also echoes key details of the iconic bag and comes in the same paintbox brights), and a sophisticated leopard-print blouson in baby calfskin.

Alongside the neo-leopard pattern, subtly revisited in pastel shades, the season’s other key print is knotted rope, which appears on a series of pieces in polyester and silk.  Inspired by the technical rope of water sports equipment, the knotted rope motif is placed to mimic a necklace on a top and blouson, or a belt slung around a shift dress – another way in which this Longchamp collection offers a fresh and elegant vision of sport.

The perfect sporty accompaniment – even for us coach potatoes.