In the renovated basement of the Palais de Tokyo, the London-based design duo Aganovich present their fifth collection, a stunning cameo of blue in an exclusively blue collection. From the invitation to the show itself, with its wall lit by a soft bluish light, blue is omnipresent: lily, cobalt, azure, ultramarine, night, navy, cyan and even Klein… Blue Moon suddenly springs to mind.
This Autumn Winter 2011-2012 collection, rich in asymmetry, is an assemblage of textures, garments and blue, tracing the history of this color through the ages. With each fabric absorbing the same pigment in a different and singular way, Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor offer us an interesting visual dialogue between fabric and color through true chromatic experiments on a multitude of different fabrics.
With an original set design opening with a remastered version of theExorcist‘s music, the silhouettes are presented in tableaux of five, each with a different visual and sound unity, first illuminated before fading into darkness. Initially simple and discreetly elegant, they quickly become more complex and elaborate, multiplying superimpositions, asymmetries and cut-outs.
Each model is a veritable patchwork of materials and colors, like a sartorial jigsaw puzzle that each wearer’s individual style composition is responsible for assembling. Knitwear marries perfectly with denim or corduroy. Silks and satins come into their own with velvet that’s a little shorter in length.
The first painting is strangely reminiscent of workers’ blouses and denims, with their simple, functional shapes. The hair is slicked back into a low ponytail, the makeup is pared back, and the blue highlights the eyes.
In the second picture, Aganovich offers us a variation on the sleeveless dress, which becomes longer and longer with each passage. The silhouette is fluid, almost ethereal.
Knitwear appears in the third painting, in the form of a loose-fitting sweater dress. The play of superimpositions is timid but certain. The patchwork of materials asserts itself more and more.
Silhouettes are suddenly more daring. The Aganovich woman adopts a very Rykiel haircut and dares to take on more structured, less consensual shapes.
Neo-ecuyere silhouettes are the most powerful expression of this sartorial puzzle. Sporting peacock hats worn over hoods, these 21st-century horsewomen wear white tights and have a pronounced taste for layering. Here, an asymmetrical jacket covers a straight dress, which in turn is dominated by an open skirt. Materials blend and the waist is accentuated by a thin belt.
For Autumn Winter 2011-2012, Aganovich offers us a modern, structured and highly graphic collection, perfectly reflecting their “clothing puzzle” concept.
Photo credits: © Patrick Stable
Marie-Odile Radom
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