Lemaire Menswear Spring 2018

Jolts of color were thin on the ground in this studiously pared-down Lemaire collection, so that vibrantly red cotton poplin overshirt around look 5 really smacked you right in the eye. But it was only when Christophe Lemaire explained the collection’s inspirations backstage that the reason for that red flash connected. “It’s super minimal,” he said. “I was really driven by all those German bands I loved from the ’70s and early ’80s, like Kraftwerk, La Düsseldorf . . . this kind of stylish, German, super-normal thing.” Ah! So the shirt . . . Kraftwerk? “Yes! From the cover of . And the all-white look, that oversize zippered blouson and the sneaker boots, is a reference to La Düsseldorf.”