In France, the four o’clock goûter, or snack time, is sacred—a suspended, soft-focus moment, often in a family home out in the countryside, with hot chocolate, madeleines, and beignets made by Mamie—or Papy, as was the case for Anthony Alvarez Graff. “For me, le goûter is this simple, short moment that carries you for eternity, and that’s what I wanted to share,” the designer said backstage before the show.
To recreate that nostalgic feeling, he teamed up with his friend, the star chef Mory Sacko, to compose a living tableau, with vintage farm tables piled high with tarts, puddings and crêpes. Some of the seating involved sofas so deep, there was no way to stand back up without an assist.
On the runway, the “countryside is for lovers” message tee and a double-faced jacquard reprising the Tree of Life spoke to family ties. Destination patches—Marseille, Dakar, Las Vegas—on a white coat, tunics, and denim nodded to fridge magnets picked up during world travels with mom. Cross-stitched yarn livened up an otherwise minimalist canvas work jacket and trousers. Lace doilies were scaled up and appliquéd on tracksuits. Beaded lampshade fringe cascaded from shearling neck warmers and balaclavas or shimmied on leather trousers. Glass beading also cropped up as 3D flourishes on khakis and jeans, or in an ivy motif on fully embroidered indoor-outdoor Ascot slippers by UGG.
A buffet of ideas and eras found harmony through styling. Plaid shirting, a staple since the 1920s, was revisited with sequins; a car coat was pieced together from denim, moleskin and quilted nylon; one-piece tracksuits were layered under coats with furry lapels. A riff on 16th-century shirting had billowing, overlong sleeves and broad cuffs. A finale of three hand-embellished boutis blankets nodded to hominess and a Provençal tradition of craft. Those will be available by special order only. Alvarez Graff called his approach “making the ordinary extraordinary.” Printed on his hoodie was a timeworn recipe for beignets passed down from his great-grandmother, collaged with one of his own first drawings. The personal intention resonated, right down to his bow alongside his mother and sister, and that is precisely what is likely to connect with Bluemarble fans.
