Every season, Louis Gabriel Nouchi tells a story through his fashion. For Fall 2022, the designer referred to Charles de Baudelaire’s 1860 novel about recreational drug use, Artificial paradises; and for spring 2023 he designed around Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ story of sophisticated seduction, Dangerous connections. Now, for Fall 2023, Nouchi has called on a classic: Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho.
Opening the series as Christian Bale’s creepy doppelganger, Lucas Bravo, who portrays cute French chef Gabriel on Netflix Emily in Paris, wore a sharp-cut coat that fell dramatically to the floor with a bouncy cadence. The entourage that accompanied him showed a similarly dark persona, placing emphasis on the suits – specifically those narrow at the waist and plunging at the shoulders. For a moment, latex gloves became part of the uniform, peeking out from under button-down shirts and often complementing a leather shoe.
La Grande Dame, former student Drag Race Francethe first season, he stepped into blood red the next, with fire engine-hued thigh-high boots that caught the eye under a black raincoat. Behind, the same bright red color flooded a one-legged T-shirt dress, straight pants and an asymmetrical top over a shirt and tie. The following looks prove that the designer didn’t want to recreate Patrick Bateman’s wardrobe, but was inspired by the story’s exploration of masculinity.
White lotus‘ Stefano Ganino (the so-called “lover” of Jennifer Coolidge’s much-missed Tanya) appeared in a light blue silk suit, worn over a close-fitting semi-sheer top in a similar tone. Soon after, Fire islandZane Phillips appeared in a comfortable gray sweater combined with baggy black pants.
Asymmetry played a key role in the tailoring of tops, which were often hemmed at the neck or on one shoulder; Meanwhile, four looks made of semi-transparent fabric eerily reminiscent of flesh marked the closing of the show. A trench coat in a nude color is perfectly paired with a V-neck shirt and tailored trousers in the same tone; together, they blended into their model’s skin, just as relaxed iterations did in later looks. All in all, sensuality and eroticism were a priority.
Check out Louis Gabriel Nouchi’s FW23 collection in the gallery above and discover more about Paris Fashion Week FW23 on Hypebeast.