Touch of grace
Chinese-American fashion designer Grace Chen gives a light, airy feel to her new collection
While China-inspired fashion was on show at the recent Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, few do it better than Grace Chen, the Chinese-American couturier who has dressed some of the most influential women in China.
The designer recently held the 2017 spring/summer fashion show in Beijing, redefining China-influenced fashion in a modern context.
Obvious Chinese elements and motifs are nowhere to be seen in Chen’s design. The influence is subtle and understated in the lines and silhouettes.
“We don’ t really have to try to show it. Instead, we believe in universal beauty, which everyone can relate to,” says Chen.
Inspired by Creep, a song by the English rock band Radiohead, the show takes on the theme of “Beautiful World”, which is from the lyrics: You’re just like an angel, your skin makes me cry; You float like a feather, in a beautiful world.
The collection interprets the beauty of love with evening dresses, cocktail dresses and capes.
Light features adorn the dresses in various ways, adding a touch of airiness and romanticism.
The Western cutting is complemented with Chinese craftsmanship like embroidery of the Miao ethnic group. Miao ethnic silver jewelry is reinterpreted into bold necklaces.
The ethnic craftswomen were invited to display their skills alongside the fashion show.
Tassels and knitting embroidery, a longtime fixture in Chen’s design, continue to be a highlight, as she draws inspiration from the art of Chinese calligraphy.
This time, Chen has also adopted a more vibrant palette, with colors like royal blue and emerald green alongside staples like white, red and black.
“The woman that I envision in my design has not only beauty and femininity, but also a kind of inner power,” she says.
Chen says she designs for real women, and it has been a tradition for her to use real women in the shows. Women of all ages strut down the runway amid professional models, interpreting the characteristics of the dresses.
Following the Beijing show, the designer hosted another salon show at House of Grace Chen in Shanghai.
Unlike grand runway shows, the Shanghai event was held in a more intimate atmosphere with private clients, like the haute couture shows in earlier times.
Chen was trained in Chi- nese calligraphy as a child. She studied fashion design at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology before attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
She later worked in the United States for brands like Zum Zum, Halston and Tadashi Shoji.
She founded her own studio in Shanghai in 2009. The brand attracted investment from private equity firm Cheng Wei Capital last year.
Last July, Chen opened the House of Grace Chen in Shanghai, following the studio in Beijing. The three-story mansion designed by Italian firm Kokaistudios integrates showrooms, fitting salons, an art gallery, a library, a fashion lounge and a VIP suite.
Her designs have been worn by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Laura Bush, Helen Mirren and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.
With her roots in couture, Chen is now looking to promote her design to a wider audience.
She designed a gown for Lang Ping, the much-celebrated head coach of China’s national women’s volleyball team, right after the team won a gold medal in Olympic Games in Rio last summer.
She also partnered with renowned model Lin Chi-ling in a recent reality show My New Dress.
She believes that the pursuit of beauty is not restricted by identity, background, age or wealth.
“My design is to make womenfeel confident and beautiful. It is for them to understand themselves better.”