Ann Demeulemeester Ready To Wear Spring Summer 2016 Paris

Almost exclusively black, save for a few infusions of green and yellow, and the occasional line of shimmery feathers fluttering down the linear silhouettes, the collection at Ann Demeulemeester was a fashion Rorschach test. See what you will in these sharp, tightly tailored outfits.

Even in the dark there are nuances, and the one that Sebastien Meunière introduced carried a directional menace. Gone is the floaty romance of the namesake; in its stead is the forbidding display of flesh, held in check by sheer underlayers and a thin leather harness. What appeared to be a photographic print slid over these layers, bringing visual asperity to these strict planes. 

As expected at Ann Demeulemeester, the jackets were killer and the trousers fell impeccably, introducing a slightly looser leg. The tailoring was appealing, but failed to smolder truly on the runway. Perhaps it was all those dry, sleek textures that made the collection a little difficult to embrace.