Repetto’s zingy little ballerina flats are loved by dancers and fashion types alike. But Jean-Marc Gaucher, who revived the brand from near obscurity 15 years ago, noticed that it wasn’t just his ballet shoes the style set were after. Women of all ages began buying his tulle tutus for a night on the town, and he realized that it was time to make the jeté into ready-to-wear. A quick call to his friend Anne-Valérie Hash led him to Emilie Le Duc, the designer now working up a youthquake over at Rodier, and a collaboration was born.
Pulling inspiration from the tutu, the dancer’s wrap-around cardigan, and the notion of capturing “not an age but a state of mind,” the line (titled Le Duc’s Wardrobe for Repetto) is a concise range of 18 silhouettes. Dresses, skirts, and corset-informed knits come in a sober color palette (ivory, nude, gray, black, and red) and easy-care materials. For example, one dress is crafted from a fitted knit top and memory-shape nylon skirt. “I tried to give the clothes both the rigor and the movement of the dance world,” said Le Duc, “but most of all I just wanted to create pretty basics that live.”
The collection—a prelude to more big things to come in 2013, including a New York flagship and a debut perfume—is available now in stores worldwide.
—Tina Isaac
Photo: Courtesy of Repetto
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