All Dolled Up at Les Fleurs Studio’s First Show
For her first foray into menswear, Les Fleurs Studio founder Maria Bernad proposed soft yet structured pieces for the boys.
Working with found fabrics and deadstock from LVMH’s Nona Source, the Spanish designer blended textures such as summer-weight wool with lace pant legs, embroidery overlays on jeans, or doilies draped over shoulders on suit jackets.
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The smartest pieces were bombers and blazers made from 18th century tapestries. Each jacket told a story in soft colors and the nubby texture of the textiles, rescued from estate sales and flea markets around Europe. It was a clever way to rework a heavier fabric in a collection that had delicacy at its core.
Sunday’s show at the city’s Cervantes Institute was also her first time on the official calendar, and Bernad developed her signature womenswear look of found lace, embroidery, filigree, and crochet pieces too. Tablecloths were transformed into headwraps or veils, adding to the air of antiquity.
Sheer silks were made into an asymmetric pant, or a high-necked, balloon-pouf gown, while barely there tops made of wisps of Chantilly lace were layered with chunky jewelry or strings or pearls.
The jewelry was through a collaboration with Mineral Weather, crafted from rescued lamps and fixtures. The heft of the pieces added balance and offset the delicacy of the fabrics.
A pencil skirt braided up the back was more defined, while a layered skirt was made from her own offcuts, leaving nothing to waste.
Titled “Lost Objects,” Bernad structured the show in two parts, the second contrasting her romantic vision with a darker side and meant to represent the second, renewed life of a discarded doll. Here, leather scraps were reworked on corsets, jackets and moto suits. One could see the seams on a vest, reminiscent of the Japanese art of kintsugi repairing broken pieces, while others were laced together with layers of cord.
The juxtaposition was jarring at moments, but her one-of-a-kind work has given her couture chops. But Bernad stepped up to the challenge of working with unique textiles and demonstrated range.
Launch Gallery: Les Fleurs Studio Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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