The offbeat look of tentacles, anemones, and diving suits
THE FIRST time this writer heard of designer Krizia Jimenez, she was showing off her outfits at the Manila Fashion Festival early in 2017, one of several participants in the graduation show of the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA). In the span of a year, Ms. Jimenez has reached a far-off runway in Vancouver, presenting a collection at Vancouver Fashion Week.
Ms. Jimenez’s collection takes a dive at life underwater, but there are no mermaid dresses here, thank goodness. Instead, we get a glimpse of the Little Mermaid’s adversary, Ursula the SeaWitch, in a tiered skirt with tentacles peeking out from underneath it.
If tentacles are up your alley, then maybe Ms. Jimenez’s avant- garde looks are definitely for you.
“I have a background in Fine Arts, Visual Communication so I usually take inspiration from all forms of art; from cultures, paintings, sculptures to music and even other designers like Yohji Yamamoto to Picasso,” said Ms. Jimenez in an e-mail.
No matter how wild or surreal a design might be, it should take shape and inspiration first from somewhere real. Ms. Jimenez said: “I take inspiration on how an object makes me feel — no matter who or what they are. I also believe in the saying that ‘you need to learn the traditional methods first before breaking the rules.’”
The tentacles definitely have a breath of both Rei Kawakubo and Elsa Schiaparelli, two female designers of different periods who both explored what shouldn’t be done in fashion, and won. Ms. Kawakubo, for example, explored the unpleasantness of the human experience through unattractive pads in her clothes that formed “tumors,” while Ms. Schiaparelli experimented with unglamorous insects, lobsters, and other objects that promoted the mundane.
In Ms. Jimenez’s other clothes, one can see the shapes of anemone, corals, seafaring cultures, and even a touch of science fiction à la Jules Verne, with jumpsuits that recall the cumbersome diving suits of the past. These were executed in rich fabrics of silk and brocade. “Traditionally, [the fabrics] were used for more classical designs but since I’ve been studying different techniques for quite some time, I’ve developed a way to enhance or rather amplify what’s common to the eye. I believe that fashion or the arts have no restrictions when it comes to materials and how their framework should be. Some materials may be known to be used for classical designs but that doesn’t mean they can’t be expended differently. The old and the new can always be transformed together,” she said in an e-mail.
As for the wearability of her clothes (which are quite ready for a formal evening, but maybe not the street, not quite yet), she said about the person who chooses to wear them, “I want my pieces to be fashion forward, to endeavor new style perspectives and intertwine new concepts with unique style choices. To showcase individuality and are inclined to assimilate trends than slavishly follow fashion trends. The person isn’t restrained in any way to showcase their impeccable sense of style and how it makes them feel. They are independent, different and defiant of the status quo.” —