When you're in fashion and you talk to other fashion people (say, on an interview) they always want to know who are some of your favorite designers. For me, the line-up usually includes (in no particular order) Chloe, Marni, Stella McCartney, Junya Wantanabe, Comme Des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten, Zero Maria Cornejo, Rachel Comey, Thakoon, Valentino, The Row, Ann Demeulemeester, Rick Owens, Acne, Sacai, and Celine. Some are there because they're simply wearable; some because I respect the craft and body of work over time. Other houses will pop on and off the list depending on my mood or what's happening in the world of fashion. For example: Alessandro Michele's amazing transformation of Gucci in just two seasons makes it impossible to exclude the label from my current favs although I wouldn't say I've been a lifelong Gucci fan. On the flip side, Lanvin under Elber Albaz was probably always on my radar but the epically atrocious
Fall Collection shown by a nameless design team left in his wake purged Lanvin from my list immediately. We must forget it exists right now. Both of these examples also signal that we are now following designers themselves rather than a brand name, even a legacy one at that. To me, this is a refreshing realization.
Isabel Marant has always been one of those designers I found shoppable for my own personal tastes and body type. I have two tops from her I bought in Paris in 2002 that I patch and repair every year because I haven't found anything since to replace their prime positioning in my whittled-down wardrobe.
I've not been her biggest fan as of late; the drive to be seen as a more high-end designer rather than a contemporary wardrobe staple has made her a little less reliable for me. Still, Marant always has great sweaters and she employs them well in her collections by making them not only interesting and salable but completely relevant to her message. My hunch is her knitwear is by far her best-selling category.
