Susan at the Hôtel de Crillon with the designers of MAL-AIMÉE

I didn’t coin the phrase–but as a Parisian acquaintance of mine recently said, sometimes fashion is better than sex. I had to agree: when I find a designer whose work really turns me on, the earth can literally move!

MAL-AIMÉE did that for me. It’s the brainchild of Marius and Léonie, two young designers who worked for Olivier Theyskens at Nina Ricci, went out on their own and found their mojo. They’re cool and hot and original; they use incredible fabrics; and–best of all–they’re creating something new!

Their presentation, held at the Hôtel de Crillon (my home-away-from-home when in Paris), was small and intimate. I was the last appointment of the day, and arrived just as they were starting to close up. Thank goodness I got there when I did, because I had time to try on their designs, right off the racks.

The winner was a coral knit jacket, above, (which I wrote about in Chic of the Week) but there was more: a cool vest, à la Comme des Garçons (but clearly MAL-AIMÉE’s own statement), and some amazing dresses–including a black-and-gold one with a shoulder strap that was so couture!

Léonie Hostettler and Marius Borgeaud, designers of MAL-AIMÉE

These young designers are very sweet, incredibly talented and obviously have long careers ahead of them. You know how I like to share my secrets, and my discoveries. So what’s my advice about these two? Follow them!

Photographs © by Stephane Israël and Morganistik