Lutz Huelle takes his timeless wardrobe dancing

By

Triana Alonso

Published
Mar 1, 2020

"Have you ever looked at your closet and realised that, among all those clothes, you always end up wearing the same 10 things?" asked Lutz Huelle at his latest runway show for Fall/Winter 2020, held at Paris' Palais de Tokyo on Friday, 28 February. 

"It happens to me a lot, which made me start to think about my favourite pieces. What makes a piece of clothing your favourite?" asked the German designer, who, in a recent interview with FashionNetwork.com, defended a vision of fashion as an industry in which everything starts over from zero twice a year.

This season the designer opted for a timeless collection, halfway between the classical and the urban, and built around the pieces that he considers to be his "favourites." The first of these was an intensely fuchsia oversized two-piece suit which was knotted at the waist and served as an introduction to a range of reinterpretations of mannish tailoring. 

Comfortable double-breasted wool blazers with structured shoulders were paired with slim-fit or high-waisted trousers, while elsewhere Huelle used different tones of reclaimed denim to make patchwork ensembles, or transformed bomber jackets into raincoats and knee-length skirts. As explained by the designer, these pieces were all the result of upcycling, using a trench from last season or a variety of different jeans.

On top of this, there were the inevitable shirt dresses and blouses in poplin, the golden brocade that appeared on a frilly skirt and a pantsuit, the camel overcoats, the fuchsia taffeta bomber, and the satin dress in shades of yellow, black and burgundy. 

All in all, the show was a kind of declaration of intent, a return to the basics from the back of the closet, which were worn by models walking to the varied rhythms of "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by The Slits, and the early-noughties hit "Toxic" by Britney Spears. Once again, the playlist played an important role at this latest show from Huelle, who often sends invitations to a select group of show attendees in the form of vinyl. 

"Ultimately, this collection became a way for me to revise my work from the last six seasons, to reevaluate and pick out my favourites, and everyone else's favourites, while trying to design pieces that will become the favourites of tomorrow, that can be worn time and again," concluded the designer, highlighting the pleasure of wearing a two-piece suit, knowing that "you only need two minutes to get dressed and look good."