the clé eye: fashion pairings SS 2024

we’re besotted with fashion, endlessly fascinated in the way fashion (as the Business of Fashion’s Imran Ahmed so aptly put it, “is a mirror and sometimes a predictor of what everyone is going to be talking about.”) no other medium better captures what’s happening in culture, our relationship with materials, its celebration of craftsmanship and all it means to be human… the way it makes us consider what beauty is, and what it means.

Now culture’s being constantly defined and redefined, never faster than now, thanks to social memes and algorithms that both unite — and pull us apart. But in a way most things don’t really do any more, and reaching far beyond the rarified world of aficionados, fashion manages to galvanize global attention twice a year, making its mark on culture, music, narrative, taste, and media for the months and years ahead. The platform? The spring/summer, and fall/winter fashion weeks.

What we love about these fashion weeks is that they’re cauldrons of creativity. while there are some truly new ideas under the sun — new materials, new techniques, and ideas — often the new is about layering unexpected (and sometimes downright challenging) color, textures, shapes, materials, moods, sensibilities, and ideas we’d never have thought of together… when they do come together, it’s magical, maybe even life changing.

Here are some of our favorite pairings, inspired by the most recent Spring/Summer ‘24 Fashion Weeks.

Sarah Burton’s final collection for McQueen channeled Lee’s quintessential style that marries boldness and edge with the fragility and preciousness of what it means to be human. thread that needle with veined red marble (rojo alicante) and grand place limestone in ceruse.

utilitarian chic in boldly sweet but never-cloying hues meet classic shapes and motifs — our foxglove baguette in paste + nettle and wildwood grande squares in shell + ru from the cinema collection: mythology feels right in sync.

Daniel Roseberry’s very grownup collection featured a very 80s combination of black and gold, but we were intrigued by this pairing of sky blue innocence with a side of unexpected shine (hello shimmer from erica tanov + clé), less contrast than bringing out the best in each individual hue and texture.

subtlety but an undeniable authority marked Matthew Williams’ collection for Givenchy. its laid back luxe with a twist meets its match in the noble stones of strata linea playfully accented with glossy indian saffron zellige.

Erdem Moralioglu hit show drew a great deal of buzz for the way it paid homage to one of the most beloved Mitford girls, the legendary Deborah Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, doyenne of Chatsworth House. Here’s our homage to Debo, courtesy of 17th century: maiolica de delft, and the aptly named blushing mistress in clé zellige.

Molly Goddard always manages to tread that line between sweet and subversive, mixing historical allusions with a punk energy. For your own version, might we recommend the improbable granny squares tile with a pop of tradition with a twist courtesy of the duckling + olive duo from oz in our mythology collection.

Virginie Viard’s quintessentially French collection brings together two of our favorite hues: a sweet sky blue (we want those boots but we’ll take field tile in 17th century: maiolica de delft in cobalta light) brought down to earth with a brownish black (guild fundamentals in matte black) that’s anything but boring.

Lanvin’s latest collection channeled classical themes but give them a little oomph with a hint of louche decadence… and nothing’s quite as classic (or decadent) as stone from our lapidary and cartwright grand place limestone collections.

Sometime’s what we love about fashion isn’t just the clothes, it’s the spectacle and no one’s quite as good as Demna when it comes to either. (Note the buzzy soundtrack of Isabel Huppert reading out instructions for tailoring a jacket.) We couldn’t tear our eyes away from this unlikely pairing: blue and white pattern juxtaposed with a vivid red.

Yes, it is Rick Owens despite the lack of blackness. (Worry not, the rest of the collection included a great deal of our favorite inky hue.) But this wearable (and liveable-with) combination of a deep, delicious caramel with a sprinkling of delicate dusty pink has as much edge to it as one of Owens’s dark looks. Channel your own with a traditional terracotta from our le sol collection and our award-winning watermark in outer sunset.

Antonio Marras’ collection also drew from history with its feminine palette but leavened tradition with this just barely sweet green (kelly’s cove from watermark) with this prune and fig duo from salon — part of our cinema collection: mythology.

Prada put on the most talked about show this season. But while the staging (the slime, the goo) took some headlines, it never managed to upstage the collection. The achingly beautiful collection included these ethereal shifts (paired with delectable acid brights), destined to be worn and moved in. (If you haven’t already, watch the video for a touch of the real magic.) Similarly magical? the lightness of watermark combined with the evanescent gold verdigris paired with punchy fallen citrus zellige.

Matthieu Blazy continued his tour de force ways, with grown up tailoring and fresh hues (again more of that soft mint ice-creamy pastel). we love the classic luxury glamour of barrow grand place limestone — meets dark glossy, argan brown zellige. no one does neutrals better, we think.

Lorenzo Serafini’s sensuous, romantic collection (inspired by Halston and Madame Grès) tapped into both classicism and modernity — and what could be more classic — or modern — than brick from the Guild’s new california collection and terracotta from the le sol collection?

Lucie and Luke Maier have loosened and funked up the famously minimalist Jil Sander design ethos, giving it more edge and grit while keeping it luxurious. They went downright maximalist with their snakeskin dusters — in the same way that calacatta viola lends an organic maximalism to the cool neutrality of fornace brioni + clé’s casale rustico.