How do you dress well when everyone else is wearing the same clothes? Marie Adam-Leenaerdt explores this conundrum by offering a new take on uniform wear, with sculptural silhouettes and a touch of surrealism.
“When you get dressed in the morning, it’s easy to throw on a T-shirt, but in the outside world, that’s kind of boring,” she told WWD of her inspiration.
To counter this static notion, the LVMH finalist transformed the standard T-shirt with strict rounded shoulders that steered away from form, and outerwear stretched over bubble-wrap-like padding for the body. Volume came from a sort of soft mousse shaper with interchangeable covers. Blazers and double-breasted coats came in candy-colored, starburst shades of yellow and pink.
She played with off-kilter, proportioned pieces that seemed to play up her dressiness and make her look childish, while voluminous jersey dresses balanced out the strength of her shoulders with soft fabric.
Other styles featured dresses that were neatly cinched at the waist but belted under the bust, silk slip dresses gave way to flowing trousers and capes, and the uniform theme was firmly established in pinafore dresses and pleated skirts.
Padded coat from the Marie Adam-Leenaerdt Spring 2025 ready-to-wear collection.
Marie Adam Lehnert/Courtesy of Alessandro Garofalo
The Belgian designer keeps a Parisian feel thanks to the Thalys train, which speeds between the two capitals several times a day, and she celebrated this connection by holding her show in a traditional French brasserie just outside the entrance to Gare du Nord.
The cafe was called “Terminus” and the collection proved that the young designer was off to a good start.
For more reviews on Paris Spring 2025, click here.