The roar of traffic has fallen away, replaced by a light tremor of leaves stirred by a soft breeze — the kind that makes the afternoon sweat feel cool on your skin. Everyone looks relaxed, engaged in easy conversation, breaking into smiles. It’s the last day of fashion week, and even though there’s plenty still happening around the city, for right now, it feels like the only place to be in Paris is here, and the only thing to do is well, enjoy this lovely moment on the garden-facing terrace of Maison Guimet, a former mansion on the Avenue d’Iena in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. 

Inside, the party, so to speak, is about to start. The mansion, now turned into a museum that houses Chinese ceremonial furniture and the arts of tea, offers itself up as a sumptuous backdrop to Seoul-based label EENK’s presentation: walls paneled in antique mirrors, doors edged with old paintings, and ornamental woodwork everywhere. Where to look? My eyes dart all around as we all filter into the room and velcro ourselves to the walls. Then, the first model appears, meandering lazily through the door like a guest arriving late to the party.

Conversations stop. All eyes are on her: chicly dressed in black, an impeccably tailored, double-breasted coat almost brushing her ankles, and a long, bow-trimmed jacquard scarf slung over her shoulder. Then, more arrive. They walk slowly. They spread out. They stop, and twist this way then that, so everyone can get a good, long look. 

“In an era defined by constant change, we can sometimes lose even the simple instinct to recognize and appreciate beauty,” the press release says. Founder and creative director Hyemee Lee is remedying that by turning us into careful observers, during fashion week, of all weeks, where chaotic rushing is almost unavoidable. 

The presentation is the fifth chapter in the designer’s ongoing Letter Project, conceived as a way of building an alphabet around her brand’s universe. Some background: Her brand’s name is a purposefully misspelled reference to “ink” and her father’s printing business. Growing up in Seoul, the designer watched her parents work together, as they still do, “setting metal type by hand, sorting fonts, handling paper, and running the presses.” It’s no surprise that she developed a deep-seated love for letterpress, and an appreciation for the kind of slow, meticulous attention it requires. 

For this spring-summer collection, the designer looked to the 1920’s, when women entered a new era of freedom, self-expression, and empowerment. The decade plays out in silhouettes that look so free, so untrammeled. Hyemee keeps us spellbound with a collection of long, languorous dresses, falling from the body in tiers of fabric and edged with bows, contrasted with shots of exquisite suiting. 

Masculine tailoring, this season, embraces a lighter, more romantic mood. Pleated tuxedo shirts are finished with lavalliere collars. (One is adorned with a silver rose brooch.) Thinly sliced and mille-feuille-esque, light layers cascade in angular folds on the backs of blazers, the most interesting of which is done in contrasting, sequined fabric. A silky button-up features not one but two openings: an inner placket that functions as the primary closure and an outer placket that is largely decorative, offering additional styling options.

Elsewhere, things are not where you expect them to be. A row of buttons appear on the backs of garments. A black tailored vest reveals a delicate eyelet-lace back in contrasting white, with dainty fabric ties. There are so many of these moments: backs of garments being unexpectedly different from their fronts. 

All the more reason to observe closely.

Then, there are of course the smaller details. The aforementioned single-stem rose appears as a leitmotif — as elegant brooches punctuating lapels, as an odd-button-out on cuffs, as three-dimensional rosette appliques on tops. They’re Hyemee’s take on a traditional Korean motif and a nod to her favorite song, “La Vie en Rose” by iconic French chanteuse Edith Piaf. Later in the collection, that same musical reference reverberates through a color story of dusty pinks and reds. 

Voir la vie en rose is the French version of seeing life through rose-colored glasses. Today, this means taking the time to enjoy and appreciate something beautiful, even if you only have a few spare minutes in your schedule. Even if you have a train to catch (just like I do) that you may or may not already be late for. Even if you still have many unchecked items on your to-do list. Slow down. Savor. Try to take in as much as you can in the time that you have.