Last year in Valencia, Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa completed a half marathon in 58 minutes and 32 seconds: his personal best. This evening in Paris, it took the Ethiopian athlete over an hour from the starting time of 6:30 pm to complete one approximately 250 meter circuit around La Monnaie de Paris’s courtyard. Equally off the pace was his fellow Ethiopian long distance runner Tamirat Tola. Neither, however, was injured; they were receiving a crash course in how to run fashionably late.
Grace Wales Bonner recruited both men to walk in a show that was crowded with guests including the famously fast Lewis Hamilton and the legendarily tardy Naomi Campbell. They were there as part of a mise-en-scene that Wales Bonner had constructed with signature completeness. The collectsion it encapsulated, entitled Marathon, was (said her notes) “an ode to long journeys and life missions. A celebration of soulful pursuits and inspired movement.”
Once off the starting blocks, the collectsion quickly found a steady rhythm alternating between Wales Bonner’s mainline and the looks produced as part of her ongoing brand partnership with adidas Originals. The tailoring, made with Anderson & Sheppard, combined the usual impeccably dignified proportions with hand applied embellishments and elevated fabrication details. A denim suit with printed side stripes for men and a white jacket piped in silver beading for women with Wales Bonner’s preferred high collar were standouts here. An irregular hemmed cheetah spot vest in cowhide provided a jolt of contrast. Some white-piped pajama style shorts and a shirt printed with marigolds were a diverting detour.
Switching to sport there were of course sneakers, including a replica of the adidas Neftegna in which Haile Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon in 2008. Tamirat Tola won the pick of the tracksuits: fine knit and green and gold. There was an interesting interplay between sporting shapes and English country pattern that included a running poncho in tattersall and a ’70s running short in check. The post-finale turn by the athletes’ compatriot Haddis Alemayehu on the lute-like masinko was enchanting, but there were two more shows tonight. We had to run.
