Sonia Rykiel

Iconic French designer Sonia Rykiel opened her first boutique in 1968 on Paris' artistic left bank. Her signature sweaters brought her instant success and led to her nickname "Queen of Knits". Rykiel's distinctive separates are the perfect way to inject a dash of Parisian chic to your look, so indulge in luxurious striped sweaters and bow-detail velvet dresses - embellished, colorful, and all with her unique flair. She's been crowned the “Queen of Knits” and “Coco Rykiel” by the American press for her quirky, deconstructed garb that upended Left Bank chic, but it all began when Parisian Rykiel starting sewing stylish maternitywear for her pregnant self in the early sixties. Aside from window-dressing her father’s shops in her teens, Rykiel had no formal training. But she soon began designing knitwear with resources from her retailer husband’s business, creating the iconic, shrunken “poor boy” sweater. By 1968, Rykiel opened her own boutique on the Left Bank, from which she hawked her covetable knits.
From there, she proceeded to invert seams, de-line looks, and add other
non-precious, fun effects to her clothes, winning her a following among the
fashion-forward—and the literati (she penned an erotic romance novel about
a man, a woman, and a sweater). In 1996, the French government showed its
appreciation by awarding her the Legion d’Honneur. Today, her label encompasses
lingerie, accessories, children’s clothing, menswear, and beauty, and is still
a family-owned business—her daughter Nathalie (who spent more than a decade
as creative director) is president and artistic director. In 2008, Gabrielle
Greiss—Sonia’s longtime chief assistant—was promoted to creative director of
women’s ready-to-wear. Sonia Rykiel took inspiration from the Côte d'Azur
this season, specifically an Art Deco hotel in the town of Juan-les-Pins,
where she vacations. On the surface, the collection looked like classic
Rykiel: an abundance of knits, trompe l'oeil touches, and a jumpsuit or two.
But, more than ever, these clothes were designed with ease in mind. The
knits were a mix of ultra-lightweight 16-ply cashmere and fine-gauge
merino wool, and a blush-hued jumpsuit—it actually looked like a two-piece
suit—was cut in comfy stretch wool. To impart a sense of girlishness, the
designer mixed in plenty of zigzag trims. The best was the grosgrain detail
on a pair of cropped tuxedo trousers. As for the season's print?
"175 Boulevard Saint-Germain," the address of Rykiel's Paris boutique,
was splashed across a crepe frock. Not that her loyal customers would
need a reminder.