Hed Mayner has a coping mechanism for hard times, even when record-breaking heat waves meld into a never-ending thrum of bad news. “I’m not into that kind of world, I’m living in my own,” the designer said backstage in the gilded, chandeliered, and mercifully air-conditioned Cercle des Armées. Not that it’s a matter of willful ignorance, he added. “I’m just trying to stay positive.”
Where previous collections have been high-volume, this season was all about fabrics, Mayner noted. “It’s about cleansing and creating something more sharp and clear, a bit more minimalistic but still very maximalist in the touch.”
Paring back to artist’s essentials, he focused on unconventional materials like densely woven white nylon mesh or jute canvas, a humble cloth that, when coated with white paint, produced a croc-like effect. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be craquelure.
“There’s something random about it,” the designer allowed, “but it’s a controlled random. There’s a lot of intention.” As quirky as they may sound, those pieces landed well. In a more subdued register, a jute top with trumpet sleeves glistened as if shellacked and was paired on the runway with ample trousers in burgundy vegan leather.
Throughout, the designer focused on the gesture of cut in serene colors like sky blue, pale yellow, ecru, and rust. His tailoring chops shone discreetly on a parka in ecru cotton canvas that was short in front, like a bomber, and longer in back. Likewise, a jacket, its shoulder seams shifted back a few degrees, projected grace and confidence. A slim-cut double-breasted jacket in crinkled dry cotton looked polished over a trouser in the same material, cut roomy and drop-crotched like a judo pant for ease of movement. In the spirit of dressing “fast and random,” outerwear included a sleeveless overcoat whose armholes dipped to the waist for easy layering over jackets. A kimono-like jute trench, shown here with a periwinkle polo sweater, was slit high in back, its panels held in place by a back tab—unless the wearer chooses to just wear them loose. That “fly or die,” as Mayner calls it, is one of the reasons why he has serious cred as a designer’s designer.
Quietly compelling accessories included whimsical, cloud-like fabric bracelets, Joaneta sneakers developed with Barcelona-based Aro, and a collaboration with the Tuscan shoemaker STURLINI that resulted in ultra-flat, sky blue Oxfords, whipstitched canvas booties and suede “sock” moccasins.
