Walking into the Frankie Shop presentation at the brand’s headquarters showroom, it was impossible to tell who was an employee, dressed as a brand representative, and who was simply there in attendance, wearing similar looks, but styled to her own tastes. It brought a clarifying potency to the brand’s overall ethos: wardrobe-building for cool girls who already know how to dress themselves.
Last season founder and creative director Gaëlle Drevet was immersed in suiting—reworked and tweaked just enough to feel fresh without effort. This latest effort carried forth the same mission. “We’re staying true to our DNA,” said, explaining that the new propositions won’t throw her customer off course. “She’s definitely an urban girl. But she was able to take a little bit of a vacation.”
So what does vacation look like, exactly? Loads of punchy bright colors—Yves Klein blue and fire engine red turning up in outerwear, track shorts, and lining the sleeves of classic trench coats, for example. And more: juicy purple, and an assortment of greens ranging from hunter to chartreuse, to the palest of pastels.
Leather punctuated with keyhole-sized perforations in persimmon and slate blue, most notably in the form of a double-panel trench, was a visually-compelling wardrobe topper. It won’t keep you dry from the rain, but there was plenty of outerwear for that: sporty, ’90s-inspired windbreakers and anoraks, a silk bomber with padded, softly-rounded shoulders in washed-out red, a cropped leather trapeze jacket, and yes, those trenches with the colorfully lined sleeves and interior piping.
Holiday ease translated into a number of pajama-style short sets in dress-shirt patterns that could easily work as separates. A pair of silky glen-plaid shorts plus a tee and blazer equals a sharp evening look, for instance. Meanwhile, one-and-done options, including a short, army-green jumpsuit, and a low-slung, belted halter dress—rarely offered as Drevet doesn’t wear many herself—made the case for leaving one’s usual uniform behind while OOO. Florals (another first for Drevet) appeared in sweet clustered bouquets on sheer, pale champagne layers. Breezy silk tops and matching shorts with the brand’s typeface logo blown up and rendered as street signage from the cities where Frankie Shop has stores (including Milan as of last month), resembled draped scarves more than advertisement.
“I always love a good stripe,” said Drevet, holding up an oversized tee with thick purple and white rugby stripes. It was a bold surprise given her proclivity for suiting. Less extreme was her sharp-shouldered take on the classic French marinière shirt in navy silk. “Whether you go to Greece, the Riviera, or even the Hamptons, it’s not the same wardrobe,” she noted. We dress for different destinations. Drevet gives us the pieces, but trusts us to know where to take them.
