Ottolinger FW26
Christa Bosch and Cosima Gadient in their FW26 collection, titled "Female Fool," borrowed its name from artist Isa Genzken's 2014 exhibition "The Only Female Fool". The reference is precise. Genzken surrounded herself with male artist friends and remained the wildest one in the room, not despite them, but indifferent to them. That posture runs through every look here.
The show took over a floor of the recently vacated Ami offices in Paris. The space was blacked out entirely, save for one open window facing the Place des Victoires. Berlin meeting Paris. Raw meeting grand. Guests sat low on wooden planks across concrete blocks, close to the floor, close to something honest. The clothes followed suit. Biker jackets and blazers arrived with sharp, precise cuts. Low-rise trousers defined the waist with lace in the gap between fabric and skin. Pinstripes moved across bow blouses and minidresses. Velour leisure wear reappeared, this time as a draped skirt. Toggles lifted from duffle coats landed on faux fur jackets and satin dresses.
Fuzzy faux-fur chubbies and puffer jackets constructed from sleeping bags handled outerwear. Skinny leather pants and early-2000s velour tracksuits pulled at memory. Oversized bows on men's jackets and striped shirts extended the brand's gender-fluid position. The duo considered this collection an appropriate moment for seriousness without sacrificing sex appeal, whether through sharp suiting or peekaboo lace dresses. That balance is the whole argument. The fool in Genzken's title was never stupid. She was free.
Photography Timothy Boue
Words by Donald Gjoka
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