Power play
THE CASE FOR FEMININE WARRIORS
tHE Rio Olympics may have ended in August, but its heroines will forever live in the annals of sports history. The likes of Simone Biles and Monica Puig are heroines in every sense of the word; they set the bar high and strive to achieve their dreams with the world watching their rise to greatness.
There were also heartwarming tales at the Olympics, like gymnasts Lee Eun-ju from South Korea and Hong Un Jong from North Korea taking a wefie together, a simple act that defies their countries’ political ideologies.
Three months before the Games, however, the House of Louis Vuitton presented, in Rio de Janeiro, its Cruise 2017 collection which, in itself, is a celebration of heroines.
Draped in powerful outfits that project independence and confidence, the models that Nicolas Ghesquiere sent out on the runway resembled the likes of Lara Croft and Katniss Everdeen who, in real life, have ditched their all-black ensembles and embraced colours in their outfits.
But instead of flimsy florals and feminine hues, the shades and shapes of the collection are unmistakable references to power. Dresses with a streamlined spirit illustrate a new aerodynamic silhouette that conveys the looks of a modern day female warrior.
Slashed stripes on trousers lengthen the silhouette, making the wearer looks like she is game for a fight. Luxuriously embroidered skirts appear to have been wrapped in haste, in the manner of a beach towel, delivering a sense of nonchalant cool.
Tech thongs and neoprene sneakers speak of a heroine who is constantly on the move, someone who moves swiftly and stylishly. As she passes through the museum’s curving corridors, heads
turn in her wake.
CELEBRATION OF ARCHITECTURE
For the past few years, Ghesquiere has, through his Cruise collections, celebrated astounding architecture across the globe. His locations are as arresting as his clothes and instead of focusing on the business side of things, the emphasis on architecture for his locations serve as a small lesson that would bring his guests to appreciate eclectic designs.
This year, that location is The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, designed and constructed by prolific Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1996.
According to the house, the location was chosen because “Niemeyer harmonises the paradox of civilisation versus the natural”, a new Utopia achieved through the desire to innovate.
The building, through its curves and white spaces, ripe for any interpretation of creativity it aims to convey, seamlessly connects with the language of fashion. In fact, those white walls and flooring provided the perfect backdrop for the clothes, which would otherwise look too convoluted on any busy backdrop.
“I so admire the power of
Oscar Niemeyer’s conviction. His vision, his radicality, his Utopia, even.
Being able to show a fashion collection in such an architecturally powerful space is a sensorial experience,”
Ghequiere says.
“In Rio de Janeiro, what I saw most of all was movement and an explosive energy that lives somewhere between modernism and tropicality. I was fascinated by the constant duality between nature and urbanism and the pictorial explosion it creates.
“For me, the main question was how to incorporate into my collection all these ele-
ments that are part of Brazilian culture, without forgetting that I am just a visitor who brings his own Parisian and French cultural references to the moment.”
For Ghesquiere , the Brazilian idealism and the vibrancy of Rio de Janeiro are the starting point for the collection.
“Cruise 2017 captures the country’s vitality, energy, multi-culturalism, freedom, urban futurism and romanticism. all the dynamic feeling the city inspires,” he says.
He picks up on the principle of lightness: Parkas unfold like kites, while taffeta cape dresses seem to be anticipating the wind to rise.
And between the lightness of the looks and the bright, bold hues, another fine collection unfolds. slizta@nst.com.my