Florentina Leitner took the stage (or rather, reimagined parking garage) in Paris at 88 Rue de la Roquette on October 4th. The collection entitled “My Heart Will Go On” presented audience members with a whispered love song – lingering in the thralls of a summer romance slowly waning in the shifting of a new season. Leitner’s SS26 collection was inspired by Harmony Korine’s cult classics Gummo and Spring Breakers. Think: doomed crushes, hot nights, teenage debauchery, and grit, for better or worse… All encased in an unnameable innocence, and similar amount of chaos. Leitner’s offerings present a feeling that these sentiments could live forever. But we regret that the sun’s aching rays will eventually peek up. A reminder – that we took it too far again, and suddenly, it’s clear the final goodbye was always in sight (we just refused to acknowledge it for a while).
Leitner was one of the most whimsical shows of Paris Fashion Week. This season’s offerings were dreamy, love-struck, and girlish, though each ensemble remained wearable across identities and presentations. In collaboration with the iconic Paul Frank, models were adorned in garments printed with unmistakable pop culture motifs like Julius the Monkey and his girlfriend, Bunny Girl.
Playing into an early-2000s nostalgia, Spring Summer 26’ was a collection of garments reimagined in Leitner’s distinct and playful vision. Models were draped in curated yet casual ensembles that became representative of late summer nights we’d previously experienced in our younger years. Reminiscent of skinny dipping in the neighbor’s pool, or some questionable river down the street. Running from skate parks, to house parties, to bonfires. Our crush’s jacket adorning our shoulders as the cool spring air nipped at us. We would be destined to repeatedly find ourselves cozied into short-termed experiences, imbued with a specific kind of naïveté that allowed us to feel as if they’d become lifelong. Though in the back of our minds, we always knew they were glittering – but fleeting, all the same.
SS26 was presented across three repeat presentation-style runways. On the way to the third, there was a shock at the door – the police had shut it down for some unknowable reason. We entered despite the fact that it was over, to see what was left of the already twice-ended shows before. What was left was the dregs of an illuminated runway, established by way of black metal fold-up seating on either side. Various cars added to the room’s allure, headlights on, beaming onto models and guests as the venue cleared out. The air was pumped with sputtering smoke machines and chatter was lively, despite the final show being cut.
There was an unplanned poetry to the final show’s inability to go on. Much like the films referenced throughout this season’s collection, there are some questions that will never be answered. The dream could only be partially realised, tying back to the themes of gritty youth presented throughout the collection. Florentina’s whimsical works were juxtaposed against the grimy, transformed parking garage at Paris Fashion Week. Fluttering layers, and oversized fits that appeared as if borrowed from older sisters, crossed the runway. All the while, models brandished skateboards and teddy bears – clear artefacts of contrarian youth. Cement floors became the red carpet. Attendees traipsed through the room in intricate outfits, delicate heels, and extensive accessories that were as fitting as they felt entirely out of place against the harsh, brutalist backdrop.