At a time when the world is looking flat, sales-wise, for many high-end brands, Officine Générale finds itself in a comparatively enviable position. It has a loyal base that is very clear on what they want and what fits their lifestyle, for example a well-considered sweater in the right gauge of Parisian navy, a cropped bomber with a glossy finish, or tailored trousers in a denim that stands a tier or two above streetwear. And since the brand is reliably obsessive about its quality-price ratio, customers never need to ponder whether spending four digits on a sweater is really worth it. Founder and creative director Pierre Mahéo says he’ll never go there for himself, so why would he do that to anyone else?
During a visit to the Officine Générale showroom on the Left Bank, the designer described pre-collections as “a really interesting psychological and technical exercise. I like doing it because it always implies lots of restrictions and reflection, and at the same time the result has to be very see-now buy-now,” he offered.
A case in point: The perennials known as Daily Classics— think t-shirts, lightweight knits, sweaters in merino or cashmere, and organic poplin shirts—were quietly introduced for men in the brand’s boutiques and on e-commerce just post-pandemic. This season, the category has expanded to women’s wear and, for the first time, is being presented alongside both lineups for pre-fall.
Those pieces, in gray, blue, khaki, white, or beige— will mix seamlessly with seasonal must-haves like a frayed-edge check jacket, a versatile goat suede jacket and, for men, trousers cut like a jeans/chino hybrid. Standouts included sharp-looking tennis-striped trousers with a matching jacket for her, and solid outerwear worked for either side of the rack. A chestnut work jacket with a contrasting collar looked strong, as did the khaki windbreaker. The whole recipe works because it manages to look on-point without upending anything.
Even so, Mahéo gives his team room to rock out a little on color and print, this season with rust, lilac and a 1970s-leaning tie-dye. A certain kind of customer will be able to carry off these total looks; for others, there’s always the option of turning down the volume with white jeans, a navy sweater or fluid trousers that will never go out of style.