The exact definition of existentialism is as follows: “Man is free and responsible for his actions”, a doctrine that corresponds with designer Sonja de Lennart, born May 21, 1920, in Prussia (East Germany). This great woman, too little known today, decided to venture into fashion in a postwar world that left room for hope, audacity, and creation. The name Sonja gave to this broader ready-to-wear collection was an homage to the famous Italian island of Capri. She designed dresses and coats, but the greatest success of all would be a pair of pants. These famous pants created in 1948 stop mid-calf – a perfect compromise between pants, too classic, and bermuda shorts, unflattering, unglamorous, and outdated – and had their golden age in the 60s. A true pioneer of her times, Sonja has been inspiring the greatest fashion houses for more than 60 years.
“Corsair” and other names were tacked onto the pants, but it was in the name “capris” that all the nostalgia of the feminine ideal of the flower power years resonated. Women saw themselves as active, sensual, and free. The 60s brought, in addition to capris, Mary Quant’s miniskirt, Andy Warhol’s craziness, Hitchcock’s films, and Serge Gainsbourg’s lyrics… It was a period of pure creative genius in short, and one that still hasn’t ceased to influence our era. The proof? The different Spring/Summer 2013 runways from Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, or Rochas that are hugely 60s-inspired! Since it’s possible to give our legs a beautiful pair of capris, what’s the point of resisting this essential piece that immediately fashions a feline silhouette like that of Audrey Hepburn in 1954‘s “Sabrina”. It’s easy to adapt it to yourself since it’s able to be integrated into any style, it’s one of those all too rare unisex pieces that suits women just as well as men, summer and winter, night and day. In leather or cotton, printed, colorful, classic, chic, sportswear, skinny, or oversize, it’s a bold choice that Guillaume Henry hasn’t hesitated to integrate into his Fall/Winter 2013-2014 Carven collection.
It is icon Jackie Kennedy that largely contributed to its popularity and enshrouded it in infinite grace. Jackie in capris is a basic equation that still resounds as an elegant evidence: capris, a t-shirt, and bare feet; the simplest formula to lounge around on a hot summer day.
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