Ines de la Fressange

Ines, how would you describe the DNA of the Ines de la Fressange brand?
Casual yet sophisticated, Parisian yet cosmopolitan, elegant yet fun, modern but with an air of vintage, pretty but not at all insipid. These are also all those little things that greatly enhance our everyday lives.
Where do you draw inspiration and what aspects of your life influence your collections?
We all have something that we are particularly fond of, but sometimes the cut isn’t quite right, or maybe it’s the fabric or even the color: but above all, there is always an item that we’re missing, that we’re looking for, which seems really simple but we never manage to find it.  It’s precisely these desires, frustrations and common sense that guide me, but above all I just ask myself “what do I want”? So even though my life is somewhat particular, I feel close to women and I think that we have similar hopes.
In your opinion, what characteristics define the contemporary woman?
She’s not perfect but she’s happy as she is! A little overwhelmed, carrying a few extra pounds, and a lot is expected of her, both at home and at work. She’s somewhat of a Simone de Beauvoir but with Marylin Monroe’s charm, except she’s called Fleur, Olga, Mina, Pauline or Stephanie and all in all, she loves her life!
What’s your definition of “seduction”?
Someone who starts by being seduced.
How important is lingerie in your imagination?
I’m always on the look out for elegance and for precious materials, while keeping it comfortable and avoiding anything vulgar. You know, happy-go-lucky Pin-Up style!
And swimwear?
Even though it doesn’t require a lot of fabric, a swimsuit should be high quality: it really shows.  The goal is to keep it sexy but bear in mind she’s not a Carioca doing 3 hours of exercise a day! A “bathing suit”, as we used to say, shows off your personality and tastes, therefore, it has to seduce you in store and then be taken to the beach on vacation, where it becomes the item of clothing that a woman wears the most often.  So I think that it is therefore a product that has to be worked on as an important piece of the collection. I’ve always been on the look out for a pair of bottoms that you don’t have to readjust all the time so you don’t look like Sister Maria on holiday in Palm Springs, you know?
In your opinion, how important is lingerie and swimwear in a woman’s wardrobe?
Honestly, I don’t think women buy so many of these items every year…aside from the odd “shopaholic”! Buying lingerie and swimsuits is an important purchase, for which they take their time to think about it and make comparisons. You have to therefore add a good dose of rationality without forgetting frivolity, tastes and quirks.  A woman will more than likely have more pairs of jeans in her wardrobe than bikinis!   The paradox is that we keep our old bikinis and underwear, but we still want new ones. A woman hardly ever changes! (laughs)
What are your favorite fabrics for lingerie?
Cashmere! (No, I’m kidding, but at the moment it’s freezing in Paris). I sometimes think that cotton used in the right way can be more luxurious than silk.
Your favorite lingerie item…
The bra. It’s practically an item of clothing, since sometimes it’s a little on show, but it’s so technical, so precise and difficult to make that it far exceeds the production of a lot of items.  It’s a little treat we have for ourselves, but often something luxurious.  It can be a sign of the woman you want to be, but it any case, it is showing who you really are.
The height of bad taste in lingerie…
Hahaha! The list is so long! (laughs). No, actually, there are so many possibilities; you just have to imagine them. However, I don’t think I will ever want transparent bra straps to give the impression I’m not wearing any bra at all.  I’m also not so crazy about strings; if someone wants to show off her behind, don’t wear anything at all! (laughs).
Do you have any styles icons?
Oh yes!  Don’t you?!  I would say Jane Birkin, Katharine Hepburn (and yes, Audrey as well!), Ava Gardner, Béatrice Rosenthal (don’t worry, she’s a friend who makes jewelry).
Can you give us an insight into the next Ines de la Fressange A/W 2015-16 collection?
Well not really, you’ll just have to stamp your feet until it’s available!
At least tell us which lingerie trends you have incorporated into this new collection?
Trends? Trends?!  Do I look like I follow trends?! No seriously, the idea was mainly to offer things that I can’t find elsewhere, and that’s the reason I wanted to make lingerie and swimwear. In any case, of course I’ve worked with silk and cotton, but it’s better to see the products for themselves!
For S/S 2015 season, you entrusted the creation of your lingerie and swimwear collections to designer Fifi Chachnil. Tell us about this collaboration…
Well, you see, after so many years in fashion, I’ve gotten used to excellence. Yes, Yves Saint-Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, or Jean-Paul Gaultier as designers, but also Avedon, Bourdin and Roversi for photographers: even though I drive a Fiat, I knew that a Rolls Royce in terms of lingerie was my friend Fifi!  Lingerie is a skill, and she has stood for excellence for several years now. Good thinking, wouldn’t you agree?
What do you attribute your success to as a businesswoman and designer?
I’m going to have big head because of you! Let’s just stick to the chest (modest, in my case…).