It’s easy to get bogged down in all the brands and labels hailing from the major “fashion cities” of the world. Paris, Milan, London, and New York are the big four. But sometimes a brand pops up from an unexpected place. Dany dos Santos and Maxime Schwab are not from Paris and they will let you know that. The Dijon, France-based design duo started Drôle de Monsieur a couple seasons ago with a few basic pieces and have since turned it into a more complete collection. As the first pieces they ever made say across the back—they’re not from Paris, madame.
You can tell by one quick look at their extremely lit, very clean Instagrams what they’re all about: mostly solid colors, sharp lines, rich tones and a whole lot of minimalism—if that’s actually possible. With Drôle de Monsieur’s S/S 2016 collection, it’s more of the same. But some people forget that consistency is actually a good thing.
The color palette rests firmly with beige and blue—which, if you speak French, you can probably guess from the name the gave the collection: Entre bleu et beige 1.2, building off their first go-round. If nothing else, it forces you to reconsider that all-black fit you wear Monday through Friday and maybe spread your wings a little bit. “We didn’t use much black because our current palette looks better without it,” Dos Santos and Schwab say. “It’s commercial and easy to sell, but it’s not our real identity. We prefer to impose this identity, even if it’s more risky.”
While the two say to expect more black in the next collection, the new drop sticks to those tenets of the previous work. Oversized trousers and shorts in smooth fabrics, slouchy sweatshirts and outerwear all done in a tasty caramel brown, light taupe, rich navy. It’s an appealing color palette to try out, even if you don’t think you can pull it off. When you’ve been wearing neutrals for so long, any color can feel like Mount Everest. Take it from me. It’s hard. But if you’re trying to up your #aesthetic game, this might be your lane.
While the brand’s first collection didn’t wind up in many stores due to a wonky fashion calendar, you can expect to see their next efforts in more doors stateside, and this new drop will be available on Drôle de Monsieur’s website in early March. They may not be from Paris, but they clearly don’t have to be.
