The codes 23 April 2023

Workwear

Overalls, coveralls, painter clothes ... workwear is part of Agnès' wardrobe since 1976.

"From her first steps as a stylist, Agnès found fashion too fleeting. She wanted to start from scratch with a garment's primary and essential function and then imagine a new way of wearing it - one that would be timeless. And what could be more basic and enduring than real work uniforms?

From a painter's overalls to a mechanic's uniform, to a worker's smock, a plasterer's herringbone jacket, or to the uniform of a waiter, she has taken all styles of work clothes and uniforms and directed them away from their original function without misrepresenting them. Insisting on no changes to the original cut of the uniforms-except to adjust the proportions for women-and no pockets added to the original designs, she nevertheless permits immense freedom with materials and color. She starts with uniforms that she has long purchased from Monsieur Porte, an official manufacturer of working uniforms in Bordeaux. Dyed red, a server's vest turns bold. Made of crepe dyed black, a pair of painter's overalls becomes ready for the dance floor. Made of silk dyed purple, a mechanic's uniform is one zipper away from a stroll through Cannes. Chinese blue lackets with a mandarin collar were also sold at rue du Jour, in their original indigo colors but washed and spun by Agnès. Seeing them, one immediately thinks of the movie La Chinoise by Godard!"

Florence Ben Sadoun, agnès b. styliste, Paris, La Martinière, 2016.