Veronique Leroy FW13 41

PARIS, Mar 2, 2013/ — No, it’s not about hybrid automobiles, which is the latest must-have among motorists today. It’s about hybrid dressing – mixing high street looks with plebian silhouettes.

Inspired by Claude Chabrol’s movie, La Cérémonie, Veronique Leroy staged a game of “schizophrenic dressing” – a domestic worker who wears her upper middle-class employer’s wardrobe, combining it with her own clothing.

The hybrid style creates a quirky appeal that turns heads, marked with intriguing twists of elegance. The combination is invigorating. It raises the question of what is elegance, and what are its therapeutic properties…

Véronique Leroy’s signature looks are seen in the shifting architecture, an off-center shoulder that gives the impression of fragile balance. Both powerful and light,coats, jackets are designed with cubic forms that seem alive, or with more voluminous, curvy silhouettes, and loose-fitting backs.

[MARI DAVIS]
Photos courtesy of Veronique Leroy