Bouchra Jarrar : Couture's Light Hand

Bouchra Jarrar’s sinuous tailoring is a revelation in today’s Haute Couture.

First published Interview

Extraordinary clothes that eschew glitzy ornamentation (Paris atelier beading, feathers, embroidery and fur taken to a red-carpet extreme) to shed the light on great design. It’s not that Jarrar doesn’t make the most of couture’s precious ingredients—notably fur, black-on-black beading, and feathers in this collection—only that she brilliantly manages not to overdo it. And today, a light hand is so rare.

Jarrar’s collection is inspired by her personal style. It’s elegant, young, and real, while so much of couture today focuses on performance.  A sleeveless jacket in oversized black-and-white houndstooth with abstract fox trim is emphatically graphic.  And scarf tops—simple narrow-striped crossovers to cover the bare essentials—add a touch of trompe l’oeil.

This season, Jarrar plays with casual tailoring standards. The aviator jacket in blue has an exaggerated shearling collar or is turned into a shearling dress, and the perfecto biker is sleeveless in black feathers. Liquid draping in satin and chiffon is structured with belts and the beading on a bustier is black on black. And Bouchra loves pants; hers are perfectly tailored cigarette pants in black and blue, and everyone should have a pair in their wardrobe.

Par Rebecca Voight