THE JOURNAL

Rochas, the Parisian brand founded way back in 1925, has taken a while to find its menswear footing. After going on hiatus in 2017 following a two-season stint by designer Ms Béatrice Ferrant, it relaunched last year under the supervision of creative director Mr Federico Curradi, who vowed to “write a new page in the history of the brand”.
The SS20 line, which has recently landed on MR PORTER, is a triumph in this regard. Though the clothes largely remain true to the label’s French roots – the draped trousers, neat bombers and oversized shirts all feel thoroughly Parisian, in that languorous, dangling cigarette sort of way – there is also just a hint of Italian swagger (Mr Curradi hails from Florence). Here’s the lowdown on three of our favourite pieces from the summery collection.
01. The T-shirt

We’re still happily aboard the tie-dye train and, thankfully, its moment in the sun has yet to wane. Made from gauzy cashmere and silk, this T-shirt is a more grown-up rendering of the trend that still manages to capture the hippie-dippy vibes you’ll want to aim for this summer. When it finally gets here, anyway.
02. The wide-leg trousers

Second only to summery, “slouchy” was the watchword of this collection, which was most apparent in the trousers department. This pair’s gabardine make up is woven with washi (a flexible hand-processed Japanese yarn used to create paper for traditional origami) for a crisp finish, and also bolsters its eco credentials.
03. The shirt

Those louche shirts we mentioned? This is precisely the sort of thing we were talking about. It’s also an excellent example of Mr Curradi’s pastel-soaked palette, which here, in a dusty sage green, does a very good job of highlighting the bib’s subtle pleats and bohemian-inspired stitching.
04. The sweater vest

Of late, knitwear has been getting more and more love in spring collections, with designers opting for thinner, more breathable yarns and experimenting with cuts to make warm-weather appropriate pieces such as this shrunken-fit sweater vest. Mr Curradi gets top marks for the burnt terracotta colour, too.
05. The tailored trousers

If overtly voluminous white trousers aren’t for you, then this pinstriped pair offers a happy medium. Very flattering (that’ll be the high-waisted cut), they’re tapered through the leg for a leaner look. If this is what we can come to expect tailoring-wise, we can’t wait to see what Mr Curradi will do next.