Haute Couture
Autumn/Winter 2017-18

“Shocking society

“Write everything that happens out the window”
Lise DeharmeAround Elsa Schiaparelli evolved a gynaecium made up of muses and artists’ companions. Inspired and inspiring, sometimes artists, they accompanied lovers or protégés while shaping their own destinies. Drawing tirelessly on their strength of character, they lived lives that were as exhilarating as they were modern. Freed from all conservatism and propriety, this feminine society has never ceased to express itself in the name of total and assumed freedom.

Shaking up preconceived ideas by imposing a breath of fresh air. A desire for lightness crystallizes a style in motion. Taking a path where sensuality blends intensity and freshness. A femininity where assertive personality rhymes with suave delicacy.

Silhouettes of absolute refinement seem to float in weightlessness. Their manifest presence fuses purity and subtle sophistication. The body is clothed in infinite grace. Dresses with a deconstructed appearance are treated as compositions. Jackets with natural shoulders evoke Picasso, while a palette of muslins is reminiscent of Rothko.

Trompe l’oeil belts, collars and bracelets punctuate the delicacy of the work with tension. The blur alternates between superimposed fishnet embroidered with glass tubes, spidery lace puzzles, graceful organza and tulle ruches. Devoured velvet and pleated lamé plaid heckle this racy evanescence.

The prism of light is studied in the transparency of materials and the infinite reflections of Swarovski crystal, vinyl or incandescent embroidery. Opalescent, ethereal tones are enhanced by black, white or shocking pink highlights and jewels in the shape of padlocks, pierced hearts and sunbursts.

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