“My dream is to make a fashion show at the Eiffel Tower. It’s the 26th show in Paris, it’s the opening, and the theme of the collection was levitation, so I wanted something very high and really Eiffel Tower is top .” Fatima Lopes
Fatima Lopes kicked off Paris Fashion Week in a most original setting. The Portuguese designer chose Paris’ most emblematic location to present her Spring Summer 2011 Levitation collection, so aptly named as it transported us high above the famous Parisian asphalt.
On the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, in front of a captivated audience, a succession of extremely delicate outfits took center stage, against a backdrop of the rooftops of Paris. Each piece is a veritable ode to lightness, but also an expression of sensual femininity. The décolletés are deep, the silhouette is magnified.
Playing on superimpositions, Fatima Lopes offers us models in which we see only what she allows us to glimpse. As delicate as lingerie, the first pieces succumb to a modest transparency from which escape touches of fluorescent orange, pink and yellow.
Giving the illusion of just being placed on the body, Fatima Lopes’ creations gradually free themselves from the body, giving pride of place to muslin. Suddenly, textures change and the collection becomes more graphic. The designer plays with materials, using cotton and especially vinyl for a highly original effect.
She sculpts and structures her effects in an architectural approach bordering on 3D. Origami pleats adorn the sides of pants. Dresses and accessories take on an embossed look. Shoulders assert themselves. Her color palette hardens, as if once again confronted with the harshness of the world.
Sinuous lines sculpt décolletés, from the wisest to the boldest. Asymmetry remains the order of the day, accentuated by vibrant turquoise. Pastels and icy tones take over from soft hues and fluorescent colors. Coral mouths and nails complete ultra-feminine silhouettes.
Then, in the evening, nude and black take over. Lace asserts itself and transparency returns. Embroidery appears and models become more graphic, relying on contrasts.
The contrast is accentuated. Geometric patterns reminiscent of Art Deco punctuate long evening gowns. The shoulders are highlighted by audacious tricks, such as a necklace around the neck that falls to the front of the dress. The apparent fragility of the beginning suddenly appears as a strength.
A flamboyant red barely disturbs this new order. The heel of the pumps, linked to the rest of the shoe by a metal structure, echoes the armatures supporting the Eiffel Tower.
For Spring Summer 2012, Fatima Lopes offers us delicate fashion for a woman who is both strong and fragile. The Fatima Lopes woman is more mature, but as glamorous and feminine as ever, to our great delight. And by choosing the Eiffel Tower, what better tribute could the designer pay to the capital of fashion!
Photo credit: Hervé Cortinat.
Marie-Odile Radom
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
