No one ever said that the re-entry into an IRL Fashion Week was going to be easy. For spring 2022, Marine Serre decided to create a film, Ostal 24, which she made with past collaborators Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago. There was a screening of it held in the Marais tonight, and that’s where the not easy part comes in; the crush from an understandably enthusiastic crowd eager to get in was not for the faint of heart. The previous day at Serre’s northern Paris atelier, however, was a stark contrast; all was calm. It was a chance to preview the collection, entitled Fichu pour Fichu, which Serre would unveil via video.

There were “popcorn” tops in all their Björkian splendor and beloved of any ’90s rave kid, repurposed into gorgeous billowing dresses and layered-up bobbly tees, perhaps to be worn with wide pants cut from an industrial-strength mix of wool and cotton. Vividly hued bath towels and linen tea towels were upcycled into coats, shirts, and apron-like skirts. Overdyed pink vintage denim and tees got deconstructed and then reconstructed panel by panel into jaunty vests, collaged dresses, and high-waist jeans.