THEORY AUTUMN/WINTER 2015-16 READY-TO-WEAR PARIS FASHION WEEK

If there’s anybody who can rehab Theory, it’s Lisa Kulson. She was there in its ’90s beginnings, helping to invent the contemporary market as we now know it. And she’s the customer today, a working woman who’s attuned to what’s going on in fashion, but doesn’t follow every trend that comes down from on high. Kulson’s first couple of collections for the brand highlight just how far it had strayed from its original m.o. of keeping the modern girl in pants and jackets. There were plenty of those hanging in the rue Saint-Honoré showroom; the surprise was the materials Kulson used: an innovative knit for a pair of slouchy tailored pants, a luxe double-face cashmere for a relaxed-fit camel coat. She put a big emphasis on knits as well, whipping up lofty turtlenecks to wear with A-line midi skirts and men’s trousers. The clothes are on the Céline, Hermès, The Row continuum, but at a much savvier price point. We’d be surprised if that doesn’t make the cash registers sing.​