A sweater doubles as a scarf at Lemaire

Fashion isn’t keen on first names, it seems. YSL became Saint Laurent, Maison Martin Margiela dropped the Martin, and now Christophe Lemaire is simply Lemaire.

The designer left a position at Hermès to focus on his own brand, and the shift to a concise surname — like Chanel, Versace and indeed Hermès — reflects both the physical and creative growth of the brand, which go hand in hand.

The FW15 collection feels vaguely ‘retro’. Somewhere on the cusp of the sixties and seventies. Though the colours are Lemaire, through and through: black, brown, khaki, stony white, and faded navy.

The shapes are something of a mixed bag. Look six is a quite structured tweed coat.

Whereas look 21 is clearly softer. The three-button lapel-less blazer feels a bit like womenswear from the eighties.

So far it all looks like stuff you might find in an op shop, albeit of a much higher standard construction-wise.

What really matters is look 28: the sweater worn as a large scarf. Going by the photo, it could just be styling or it could be an actual piece intended to be worn that way, though I’m leaning towards the former.

The look has been done a couple of times elsewhere. Not quite a trend yet, a subtle one at best, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of it, perhaps in street style shots.

Come winter, I may be buying sweaters in pairs.