1932, spinning at the rhythm of 2016, and beyond. A musical exploration of a particular year in the archives constructs the wardrobe for the confident contemporary woman. Softly. Swiftly. Like a piano play, the movements are both exact and emotional, sharp and round. Coiling lines, spiraling pleats and melting geometries define a grammar of dancing, liquid forms. Musical instruments are deconstructed and torn to signs, turning dresses into bodily instruments. Fringes like piano strings. Buttoning like accordion buttons.
Dresses move and float around the body. A string pulls all the volume up; effortless draping follows. Lines cross the bust diagonally; rhapsodic pleats ensue.Capes have a solemn ease. Slits move and surprise. Tailoring has a soulful exactitude.
Geometry lands an emotional, cocooning aura. Piede-de-poule patterns and piano prints provide visual stimulation. Transparencies dematerialize staples such as the tuxedo and the blouson. Metallic shots as an interlude. Touches of fur as a diversion. Pins, piano hammers and strings punctuate the image. Ice-skating shoes like dynamic pedestals. A painterly palette of warm hues of nude, rust, yellow and ochre is mixed with cold shades of blue and purple.
Materials are firm yet liquid: crepe de chine, organza, wool canvas, wool gaberdine, jersey, silk duchesse.
Photo: The Courtesy of Vionnet Paris
