It was Audrey Tautou, who played a Parisian from Montmartre in "The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain", released in 2001 and awarded at the Césars and the Oscars, who opened the AMI fashion show in front of the Sacré-Coeur on Thursday evening, in as part of Men's Fashion Week in Paris.

Before she walks on the catwalk, hands in her pockets, in white pants, beige blouse and trench coat, VIP guests like Naomi Campbell in a yellow ensemble, Carla Bruni in a red dress or actress Sandrine Kiberlain in a sequined top and wide black trousers pose for photographers atop the Butte Montmartre, Paris at their feet.

British model Cara Delevingne at the AMI fashion show in Paris, June 23, 2022 JULIEN DE ROSA AFP

The open-air parade was an opportunity to present the spring-summer 2023 collections for men and women, casual chic and sexy.

The feminine key look is built around shorts, an open blouse, a structured jacket and heeled thigh-high boots also presented by curvy models.

Catherine Deneuve muse, Isabelle Adjani model

Launched in 2011, AMI with its logo consisting of an A surmounted by a heart was initially a brand popular with young trendy Parisians.

Alexandre Mattiussi, who grew up in the Normandy countryside and for whom Paris is a welcoming city that he tells "chapter by chapter" in his fashion shows, claims a "pragmatic" and easy-to-wear fashion.

The creator Alexandre Mattiussi greets the public after the parade of his brand AMI in Paris, June 23, 2022 JULIEN DE ROSA AFP

He calls himself "customer of his own story" and defines the ideal wardrobe by "the right jacket, the right coat, a shirt, trousers".

A statement that first seduced the friends of his customers who "toured around" AMI shops for men, which decided him to do women's fashion, even if he realized that he was entering a "more complex" where one is more easily judged.

AMI parade in Paris, June 23, 2022 JULIEN DE ROSA AFP

However, he quickly gained VIP admirers who posed for his campaigns like Catherine Deneuve or paraded like Laetitia Casta or Isabelle Adjani in January.

"It's a mix of clothes that are quite sophisticated and quite simple at the same time", summarizes Catherine Deneuve, muse of an AMI handbag.

"He is a deeply human person and it shows in his clothes", comments Leïla Bekhti, friend and one of the first clients of Alexandre Mattiussi, in Elle.

"By dressing at AMI, I assume my feminine side by assuming my masculine side. It's like an intimate reconciliation."

AMI parade in Paris, June 23, 2022 JULIEN DE ROSA AFP

"Sincerity" on the red carpet

It was the last edition of the Cannes festival which consecrated him a month ago as THE stylist of the moment after Sophie Marceau appeared on the red carpet in a red jumpsuit sublimated with a long train and the actress Spaniard Rossy de Palma, style icon and muse of major luxury houses, wore her black trouser suit.

French actress Sophie Marceau at the Cannes Film Festival, May 24, 2022 CHRISTOPHE SIMON AFP

An unprecedented success story for a men's ready-to-wear designer in this ultra-competitive universe where famous fashion houses compete for celebrities.

Alexandre Mattiussi "knew how to speak in the world of the red carpet (red carpet) while remaining faithful to what it is", declared to AFP Serge Carreira, lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, specialist in luxury and fashion.

The designer's passion for the cinema, thanks to which he arrived in fashion for the "directing, costume and interpretation" side, also explains his success with actresses.

Spanish actress Rossy de Palma in AMI outfit in Cannes, May 23, 2022 LOIC VENANCE AFP

"All the people he has dressed are those with whom he has a real dialogue, who were in his advertising campaigns or in his fashion shows. These are stories of friendships", underlines Serge Carreira.

"He has an extremely open vision of people (...). We are in the idea of ​​expressing ourselves through clothes, a way of being ourselves in this world where we are used to being a character,” he concludes.

© 2022 AFP