Last December, French fashion's governing body, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, granted Bouchra Jarrar an haute couture appellation. This was an upgrade from her guest-member status and a seriously big deal. She's secured a place in couture's history books, joining the ranks of pre-war women designers like Chanel, Vionnet, Grès, and Schiaparelli. It's been more than thirty years since a woman was named a grande couturière.
And so there was good reason for the newfound swagger in her exuberantly embellished jackets and gilets. "J'ai des oiseaux," she said backstage. "I have birds." And she meant it. Jarrar used ivory feathers last season, but here they were packed closely together in natural shades of brown and black or were dyed a gorgeous sapphire blue. There were probably more colors in this show's plumes than in all her previous collections combined. More crystals, too.
Discover the videos Bouchra Jarrar's 1st Haute Couture collection for Spring/Summer 2010 and her exclusive interview, at the end of this post! LoL, Andrea
“I really believe in couture for day,” said Bouchra Jarrar, while giving a close-up view of her spring collection in her studio. “I’m not—pouf!—a big ball gown person.”
Actually, Jarrar is plainly a jacket-coat-and-trousers person par excellence, which makes her an outlier in Paris couture practice. Possibly many designers figure that tailoring doesn’t “show the money” and that the custom-making market is only about dresses for red-carpet events and weddings. But Jarrar’s work contradicts all that. Her work particularly this season does show the money, at least to women with an eye for elegance and an admiration of incredibly refined fabric.
The elements of Bouchra Jarrar’s signatures are a mix of classic redingotes with swooping lapels and biker jackets and vests with diagonal zippers. Sounds simple, but this is a woman who goes way beyond cutting her every pattern. Her obsessional pursuit of quality and innovation means that she also selects every silk thread and nylon tape which go into her gleaming fabrics which she then has an artisan specialist hand-weave on a traditional loom. For this couture collection, she says she wanted her clothes to “catch the light.” For the first time, the sophisticated inclusion of color silvery blues and vibrant purples reads as positively rich.
And in another sense, this collection represents a symbolic turning point. Jarrar is quietly celebrating the fact that establishment French fashion has finally recognized her as one of its own by electing her as a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. It means a lot to her as an independent designer to be officially credited as having reached the standards set by an inner circle, which includes the couture collections of Chanel and Christian Dior. Perhaps that badge of honor doesn’t mean too much to the outside world, but it’s an emotional turning point. What matters more is that she is one of the best young exemplars of excellence in modern French fashion. That bodes well for her long-term future.
Moroccan designer Bouchra Jarrar talks about her
first Haute Couture collection for Spring/Summer 2010
first Haute Couture collection for Spring/Summer 2010
Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories
Photo Credit/Source: VOGUE
Photos: Kevin Tachman (Still) / Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages (Runway)
More Couture To Love ...
'VIONNET Spring 2014 Demi-Couture'
There are two ways to approach the task Hussein Chalayan accepted when he signed on to produce a demi-couture collection for Goga Ashkenazi's Vionnet.
“Chalayan is one of the most creative and provocative designers working in fashion today”, states Ashkenazi. “I have always been intrigued by his conceptual approach and the fearless way his work travels outside the traditional confines of fashion. It is an honor for me to work with someone I admire so much. I know he will bring something special to Vionnet’s Demi-Couture collection”.
The Beautiful Sound of Silence - From the sparkling dew of a Spring dawn to a garden in bountiful bloom, GEORGES HOBEIKA’s Spring/Summer 2014 Haute Couture collection envisions nature’s gorgeous harmony.
Another 'Throwback' to Paris Haute Couture with some wonderful backstage moments on Giambattista Valli Spring/Summer 2014 Haute Couture.
Throwback to Paris Haute Couture with some of my backstage moments on VALENTINO Spring/Summer 2014 Haute Couture.
The Stéphane Rolland's Haute Couture collection, for Spring/Summer 2014, is a real sunset. A warm color palette, from orange mango to yellow, mixed with tangerine, saffron and a touch of black and white. The models' silhouette is wrapped in garments that resemble sculptures without ever appearing rigid.
'ALEXANDRE VAUTHIER Spring 2014 Couture'
'Promise Of Spring - ELIE SAAb Spring 2014 Couture'
'The Cambon Club | CHANEL Spring 2014 Couture'
'ARMANI Prive´Spring 2014 Couture'
'Zuhair Murad Spring 2014 Couture'
'Bejeweled Impact by Giambattista Valli Spring 2014 Couture'
'Ethereal Haute Couture by VALENTINO'
Alexandre Vauthier pumped up the artistic side of his Spring/Summer 2014 Couture collection. Braided leather added edge and texture to his body-hugging looks, while macramé tops and dresses — some were entirely knotted from hand-woven ropes — gave off an ethnic flair. Alexander Vauthier is somewhat beach-bound, giving surf gear a sleek revamp, sans a pair of sunglasses or a neon bikini in sight.
'Promise Of Spring - ELIE SAAb Spring 2014 Couture'
INSPIRED by the work of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, the nineteenth-century Dutch artist painted scenes from the Roman Empire. His subjects always seemed to be reclining amid marble statuary, and there was a good chance that the Mediterranean Sea was shimmering in the background.
'The Cambon Club | CHANEL Spring 2014 Couture'
Minimalist staging set the tone for the Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 Haute Couture show. Beneath the domed glass ceiling of the Grand Palais, a stage consisting of glowing white walls and polished steel panels revealed a large staircase from which models emerged at the show’s opening.
'ARMANI Prive´Spring 2014 Couture'
The fashion proceedings, which you see here, were centered on two of Giorgio Armani’s career-long themes: his interest in Asian cultures, filtered through his deep love of early black-and-white movies. Both influences were apparent in almost everything he showed.
'Zuhair Murad Spring 2014 Couture'
Inspirations straight from Garden Eden, the mystical garden segment of Zuhair Murad's Spring/Summer 2014 Couture collection overall contained a multitude of camellias, roses, peonies, gentian, and more, all shimmering atop gowns, jumpsuits, and cocktail frocks.
'Bejeweled Impact by Giambattista Valli Spring 2014 Couture'
Most outstanding: a beautiful strapless dress with a pale ivory whoosh of tulle skirt and a pale pink bodice with a veiled flower embroidery, anchored with a deep black ribbon, tied in a bow.
Some days before Paris Haute Couture Week, I relished an exceptional couture moment with Albrecht Ollendiek in his Frankfurt based haute couture showroom. A very private appointment in a very private space of haute couture - Saalgasse 10, Frankfurt. So excited, because Albrecht is one of my favourite couturiers since more than 15 years and his annual couture shows at Schlosshotel Kronberg are renomed as a fashionable highlight in the Rhein-Main area.
'Ethereal Haute Couture by VALENTINO'
The design duo of the moment, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli took their inspiration for the VALENTINO Spring 2014 Haute Couture from "the most fantastical Italian opera possible". They took us in a "beyond exquisite" embroidered flora and fauna - Garden of Eden - the runway was a special hand painted catwalk, painted by the Roman operatic house.
'3-D Floral Sequins by DIOR Spring 2014 Couture'
When Raf Simons arrived at Christian Dior nearly two years ago, he had to personally meet every single member of the ateliers who painstakingly labor to create things of such lyrical beauty that oftentimes it barely looks like a human hand has ever touched them. Flash ahead to this week, and Simons used his exquisite spring 2014 couture to honor all that les petites mains do at Dior.
'Atelier Versace Spring 2014 Couture'
"A juxtaposition of glamour and mystery, with cinched-in poise meeting the fluidity and provocation of Grace Jones. Different ways with draping: sculpted and controlled to highlight the lines of sleek tailoring, or liberated and sensual for fluid silk jersey dresses."
Tweet
No comments:
Post a Comment