Ester Manas and her partner in life and business Balthazar Delepierre are tying the knot this summer. It gave them a ready-made starting point for their new collection. “We’re getting married, so we tried to do the most stereotypical wedding we won’t do for ourselves,” they said, completing each other’s sentences in their usual style. Hence the church venue and the love songs on the soundtrack: Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” and Sade’s “No Ordinary Love.”
Manas and Delepierre are planning something low-key for their own ceremony, but she won’t have to go far for her dress. It’s look 4, she said, a strappy number in different kinds of white stretch lace with cut-outs on the bodice, a ruffle circling the hips, and a high front slit. At 30, Manas is part of a new generation that’s rejecting strapless gowns with trains, among other old-fashioned traditions. She also showed a midriff-baring two-piece dress with a hip cut-out (pro-tip: wear a corsage there), a single-sleeve sheath, and another dress with the shape and ease of a short-sleeve T-shirt.
The good feelings at this show weren’t only down to the love story. The Ester Manas runway is the most inclusive in Paris, a city where body positivity has sometimes felt in lamentably short supply this season. Manas’s mantra remains: “I am making clothes to welcome everyone.” She’s also making clothes more responsibly, step-by-small-step. Ninety percentage of the collection is made from deadstock, including the laces and the ribbed knits that were incorporated for the first time. Manas sees the ribbed jersey as a path forward for the nascent brand, still body-conscious but wearable on more occasions.
“For better or worse,” was printed in script across the show invitation. Together, Manas and Delepierre really are making their little corner of fashion a better place.
