Once upon a time, a fairy-tale maker decided to reveal himself. And to do so, nothing beats a Chinese portrait and a collection of Haute-Couture. through an intimate fashion show to talk to us about fashion, fabrics, cuts and passion – in short, the delicate art of Haute-Couture..
While some use their pen to express themselves, to say who they are, others use what defines them best. For this Haute Couture Winter 2010-2011 collection, Franck Sorbier has chosen to express his love for Haute Couture using his own weapons, as the creative craftsman at the head of his own haute couture house. Fabric, embroidery, couture and finally the dress are his words, and Sotheby’s his canvas.
And to tell us more about who he is, Franck Sorbier draws up his own Chinese portrait, giving us his stylistic interpretation of the Franck Sorbier woman in 16 models, a multiple woman who embraces her choices and contradictions. Each silhouette, whether artistic, exotic or dreamlike, reveals a little more about the designer and takes us inside Franck Sorbier’s head. Skins, silk organza, velvet, lace, satin, silk chiffon, the softest fabrics follow one another for a timeless moment of grace between tradition and modernity.
From the very first silhouette, the designer’s mastery is palpable with this hood in dyed skins celebrating the fairy tale“Peau d’âne” and covering a strapless “couleur de soleil” dress with mirrors and a train skirt in crinkled velvet viscose-gold silk. “My tailor is rich but my english is poor” is an opportunity for the designer to give us his interpretation of the timeless couture suit, inevitably black, whose pockets are decorated with silver wallets, in a strong nod to the brand.
How can we remain insensitive to this ballerina dress made from straw, hemp twine and horsehair for the bustier, while the tutu is a symphony of beige silk organza? Or stand in awe of the craftsmanship demonstrated in this black gown with its mosaic of lace and guipure?
The designer makes us twirl in a pink silk organza ball gown to the tune of“La vie en rose“, and seems inspired with his fringed dress, a tribute to the Arts premiers, all in woven raffia in a myriad of colors.
His interpretation of the myth of the Parisienne in a worked basque jacket and long black silk satin crepe skirt is more than convincing. And he takes us on a pleasant journey back in time with his large ball gown with compressed bustier and large free-skirted train in hand-painted velvet panne.
In homage to Kraftwerk’s“Radioactivity“, a belted trench coat in silver-printed wool and silk satin is adorned with motifs of mixing desks and old-fashioned radios, while a long, ripped-striped trapeze dress in black and white silk chiffon is brilliantly charged with evoking black-and-white dualism.
All the designer’s creativity is expressed in his homage to Dadaism, a strapless dress made of kraft paper, papier-mâché and corrugated cardboard, the bustier of which is held together by hemp strings. And what better way to end her extraordinary love affair with couture than with “Une Histoire d’Amour : Romanesque” composed of a splendid fringed coat in skins pyrographed with Amerindian motifs, delicately worn over a dress compressed with 4 tulle flounces?
A veritable play on materials and colors, Franck Sorbier’s Autumn-Winter 2010-2011 collection is sublime. It’s not a demonstration by the designer, but rather a gift to us. He shows us the beauty of Haute-Couture not in a little entrechat, but rather in a pas de deux for eternity.
The program featured this quote from Jacques Prévert:“We should try to be happy, if only to set an example. Well, for a moment, Franck Sorbier made us happy…
Photo credits: ©Piero Biasion
Marie-Odile Radom
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
