Hit List

The Sonia Rykiel artistic director embraces the Parisian label’s whimsical heritage

I’ve always loved Madame Rykiel’s Dictionnaire déglingué, her dictionary that’s filled with wonderful definitions like “Romantic: a woman in a man’s suit, with a flower in her hair.” It demonstrates an intense joy in its wordplay and in its wit and lightheartedness. So it was only natural to launch a year of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the house with a Manifesto capsule collection themed around a Sonia Rykiel vocabulary.

The first word I chose was s’aimer: to love oneself. At the risk of sounding clichéd, it seemed pertinent in a world where there is so much insecurity and unhappiness. I wrote s’aimer boldly across the front of a boyfriend sweater, giving a nod to our monogram with the “S” and “R” falling on the sleeves.

The Sauternes dress is shaped like a bottle of the sweet French wine. It’s quietly witty — and so easy to wear!