PVC, foam pyramids and paisley prints were laid side by side in Mary
Katrantzou’s new collection shown at London Fashion Week on Sunday, on
brightly coloured, richly textured dresses, trousers and coats.
The Greek designer took as her inspiration the concept of horror vacui —
the fear of empty spaces, the idea in visual art of packing in as much
detail
as possible.
Many outfits had as a base a simple, seamless charcoal grey fabric which
was then sewn onto panels of different colours and textures, from yellow,
pink and blue to crystals, embroidery and plastics.
Traditional paisley, damask and rose prints were overlaid with transparent
PVC on coat hoods and pockets, or matched with skirts made of small plastic
pyramids.
Speaking to reporters backstage after the show, Katrantzou said she was
playing with ideas of how people in the past turned to ostentatious clothes
to
show their wealth and status.
“In Victorian times you used to show your excess through everything you
surrounded yourself with and what you were wearing,” she said. “Now it’s
the opposite, you have to show restraint and limits to show your
refinement.”
After founding her label in 2008, Katrantzou pioneered the use of digital
prints in fashion and continues to search out advances in engineering. The
basic silhouettes of the dresses were made by a company that manufactures
car roofs, the fabric moulded to the female form to keep its structure
without corsetry or even seams.
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She then embellished them with different materials and shapes, including
flared skirts that resembled an inverse Victorian bustle, and masculine
duffel and parka coats. “It was about playing with different materials and
proportions,” Katrantzou
said. (AFP)