Metro Exclusive: Here is Sophie Delafontaine’s Vision of the Modern Parisienne for Longchamp

Paris has always had a certain cinematic quality. Long café lunches, open windows, women moving through the city with an effortless sense of purpose. For Longchamp’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled The Parisian New Wave, these everyday scenes become the starting point for a wardrobe inspired by the spirit of French cinema in the 1950s and 1960s.

During our visit to the Longchamp showroom in Paris, Longcamp Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine spoke about the women who inspired the collection, the creative decisions that shape each season, and the balance between preserving the house’s identity and giving it a contemporary perspective.

For Delafontaine, the French New Wave offered a compelling vision of femininity. Its heroines were women with strong personalities, defined by their individuality and presence. That attitude informs a collection that moves between structure and ease, sophistication and spontaneity, with each look offering a different interpretation of the modern Parisienne.

“So this collection is really inspired by the French Nouvelle Vague, the period of French cinema in the 1950s to 1960s, where women were really the main character of each movie,” she explains. “They were strong women with a lot of character, very feminine, very elegant.”

The new Longchamp wardrobe feels like a breathe of fresh air—dressed up without looking overly formal. Shift dresses meet neat leather jackets, crepe tailoring takes on the softness of tweed, and lightweight linen and cotton bring a sense of ease to everyday dressing. As the collection moves from day to evening, the silhouette remains central, with accessories and carefully chosen details lending each look its personality.

Color plays an important role in establishing the collection’s mood. Warm neutrals, including cognac, mocha, plum, gray, black, white, and ecru, form the foundation, while lilac, sky blue, blush, and aniseed introduce unexpected flashes of color. Stripes, polka dots, and textured fabrics add visual interest without overwhelming the silhouette.

For Delafontaine, this process begins long before the finished garments take shape. She describes creativity as a continuous exchange of ideas, with one thought leading naturally to the next.

“Creation, it’s something ongoing,” she says. “One idea brings me another idea, that brings me another idea.” She begins each collection by establishing its color palette, using those initial choices to develop the larger story. For Spring/Summer 2027, the combination of restrained neutrals and softer color accents helped define the season’s direction. The French New Wave reference also found its way into the accessories, inspiring polka dots on a Le Pliage design.

“The color palette is very important at Longchamp, and then it gives a full story, and then I translate it in product,” Delafontaine says.

That way of thinking extends to the collection’s signature pieces. The Atelier, Kimono, and Safari jackets anchor the wardrobe, while leather gloves, belts, scarves, and bags offer opportunities to shift the character of an outfit. The new Le Jolie bag, meanwhile, draws on the elegance of the 1950s, reinforcing the collection’s cinematic references.

For Delafontaine, the appeal of these details lies in their ability to give a look distinction without sacrificing ease. A polished silhouette can be transformed by a single accessory, allowing the wearer to express her own interpretation of the season.

While Spring/Summer 2027 looks to the past for inspiration, Longchamp’s creative direction remains focused on moving forward. Delafontaine has spent years developing the house’s ready-to-wear and footwear alongside its leather goods, building on a family legacy rooted in craftsmanship.

She credits her grandfather and father with establishing the foundations of the business, particularly its expertise in leatherworking. Working with her father also gave her an intimate understanding of the house’s identity, which continues to inform her approach today.

That continuity, however, leaves room for change. Delafontaine works alongside her brothers and is now beginning to pass the same knowledge to the next generation of her family, with her daughter Juliette involved in the company’s global events.

For her, preserving a heritage means understanding what makes a house distinctive while allowing it to respond to contemporary life. Quality, materials, and attention to detail remain essential, even as Longchamp explores new categories and creative possibilities.

The same philosophy informs her perspective on timeless design. Discussing Le Pliage, one of the house’s most recognizable bags, she identifies a balance that is difficult to achieve but fundamental to its enduring appeal.

“It’s very difficult in design to get simplicity, functionality, and character at the same time,” she says.

It is a principle that also resonates throughout the new collection. The clothes are designed to accommodate the different moments of a woman’s day, while the accessories bring individuality to familiar silhouettes. The result is a wardrobe that feels adaptable, with elegance coming from the way its pieces work together rather than from excess.

With The Parisian New Wave, that approach takes the form of a woman who moves through the city on her own terms. She can be sophisticated in one moment and spontaneous in the next, shifting between roles without losing her sense of self.

It is this freedom that gives the Spring/Summer 2027 collection its character. Through the language of French cinema, Delafontaine revisits the codes of Parisian style and makes them relevant to the woman of today, one who finds elegance in movement, confidence in simplicity, and individuality in the details.