If Hussein Chalayan has one thing to prove to the world
at this point in a career that has helped define fashion's outer limits,
it's that he can do glamour. For his new Demi-Couture collection for Vionnet,
the models had starlet hair, swept to one side. And they were wearing
red-carpet dresses from start to finish. It looked like something new
for Chalayan, yet at its heart was his same old fascination with the
attraction of opposites.
Discover the VIONNET Fall/Winter '14/15 RTW runway show at the end of this post!
Discover the VIONNET Fall/Winter '14/15 RTW runway show at the end of this post!
LoL, Andrea
Start with stillness and movement. One dress was a lacy white number with eruptions of red pleating. There were other dresses in which the pleats were exaggerated with fountains of fringing. A simple strapless bias-cut silk sheath toted a swatch of fabric like a wrung-out towel. That was the kind of strangely sensual flourish that distinguishes Chalayan's own collections.
Chalayan is a fiercely technical designer. Here, for instance, there were a handful of gowns with a three-dimensional spine curving down the leg or over the shoulder. It was so weird that it shouldn't have worked. But it did, because everything was in the same fabric. The bias swags of contrasting fabrics were less successful. But at least Chalayan never rests. And, with the best will in the world, you could imagine Madeleine Vionnet recognizing herself in the work he is doing.
Selections by ANDREA JANKE Finest Accessories
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Patent shin guards unnecessarily accented a few leggy looks, as if he hadn't already offered enough aesthetic armor with a pearl and crystal cardigan (120 hours of embroidery) or a series of plush fox cabans. Of course, the designer knows there will always be an appetite for the Tom Ford school of sexpot, but his point of differentiation his expert eye for fit can get overwhelmed by glam.
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