India is the scenery and its inspiration. A young British woman ventures
between two different worlds, in that period of time when the solemn Victorian
fashion codes, leave place to those more irreverent of the Edwardian age, where
elegance melts together with comfort and opulence with the pure lines. The adventure
in a wide environment of multiple colours restrains the growing informality. At
the first encounter, cloths adapt themselves to this new climate: muslin silk
and georgette cracks allow a wider range of movements for a sportive attitude. The
straight tunics, enhanced lightly around the waistband, recall typical
Victorian allure volumes. Silhouettes, accentuated by the asymmetry and by
draperies, become long-limbed. This travel in the heart of two contrasting worlds
has been described in the diary of an Anglo-Irish noblewoman, who went to India
in 1991 to assist Dehli Durbar, who was celebrating King George the Fifth as
sovereign of the British Empire.
Lilah Wingfield, last Century’s
British explorer and her travel diaries inspired this Haute Couture collection
of Elie Saab. Indian contaminations attenuate the Victorian origins of the
clothes and make the whole collection appear fresh and light. Mini lace
dresses, long crystals tunics and large pants to wear with top-sari. Maxi dance
lace and crystals embroidered gowns surely don’t miss, unique creations, which
we surely will soon see parading on the Grammys’ red carpet.
Mauve, sky-blue, silver, nude-blush-tones
and pink are the main colours of the collection, while silk, chiffon, lace and
crystals are the fabrics used for next warm season. Structured and fluid are
the shapes of the silhouettes: A-shaped long dresses or straight gowns and
flared at the bottom. Anything is matched with high boots with chains, shoulder
bags, tiara jewels and maxi jet sandals.
Miss Wingfield described a garden party organised for the occasion to
the New Delhi’s Red Fort, «English
ladies in exquisite hats and jewelswhich
shone in the sun… Maharanis and Indianladies
in saris of every hue, all making a greatglittering melee in the wonderful old
buildingsand
exquisitely carved white marble of theDiwan-i-Khas».Adventuring deeper
into the heart of the country, in Udaipur she witnesses,«the
dazzlingpurity and symmetry of the white marble pillarson the
paved courtyards interspersed withgraceful
palm trees, through which the glorious vista of the blue sky and lake was
visible…». Patterns of fine lace, embroidery and beading
throughout the collection suggest elaborate architectural motifs and the
bougainvillea, jasmine and palm tree foliage of an airy royal palace she might
find. They uplift the muted tones and predominantly sporty silhouettes into the
domain of the exquisite.
From the bustling markets of
Bombay to ancient city capitals and great expanses of countryside a colour
palette emerges in hues of argyle, grey, English Rose, tundra and
blue. Accessories reflect an explorer’s spirit in flat, worked-leather
shoes and detailed metal jewellery. Satchel bags and ornamented headpieces are
appropriated from her new environment. Structure and fluidity rebound, one
off of the other, in the 2016 Haute Couture Spring/Summer collection. Through
the perspective of the adventuress lies the intersection of convention and
daring, new horizons and cultural encounter.
On the Parisian Haute Couture catwalks, Elie Saab’s
SS16 collection proposed highly embroidered opulent long dresses, silk
relatively minimal pants, and presented a young British adventurer all dressed
up with sparkling and shiny laces and pearls fringes and tulle. The exotic
dimension gets presented in terms of travel and discovery, as seen with the
accessories presented at the show, which recall the early Twentieth Century’s
explorations: different and far time and places get along perfectly in this
collection: any piece of the collection, whether it is a gown or a “simple”
dress, is magnificent, complex, royal and extremely feminine. Special guests sitting
in the front row Olivia Palermo, Elena Perminova, Michelle Yeoh and Clotilde
Courau.
Any of the
show pieces enchant and amaze on the runway. Elie Saab’s dresses are characterized
by laces and lucent applications. In the mostly skid cuts emerges the sartorial
mastery of the Lebanese designer, always a gold medallist winner when valorising
the feminine silhouette, embellishing her of a strong seductive power. Underneath
the Thêatre national de Chaillot, Saab’s collection was entirely aimed towards
elegance and sophistication, elements that conquered the hearts of all the
guests attending the show. To better re-create the desired atmosphere, the
designer set a catwalk immerged in the jungle, where he gave free reign to his British
noblewomen with Victorian dresses and crown or sari over their heads. Pure standing ovation for Elie Saab.
It's a story about two room mates who just love living their lives. Join our journey. «To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.»
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