FASHION WEEK 2011-AMSTERDAM

amsterdam fashion week: sheguang hu

(images via peter stigter)
sheguang hu’s s/s 2012 show was one of the most lavish spectacles to mount the catwalk of the spring round of amsterdam fashion week presentations, with what felt like an endless display of some 50 dresses presented on over 30 models, the complex creations requiring (again) what felt like endless bolts of fabric and detail.


titled ‘emotions,’ the range was inspired by the baroque period of art from the 17th century, with liberal references to the designer’s birth country of china interspersed throughout.  “My aim is to combine Chinese elements with the Dutch fashion,” mr. hu explained to xinhua news.  “For me, the Chinese way of dressing is much more tender and delicate. Chinese designers pay a lot of attention to details, while the Dutch designers tend to focus more on a decent way of dressing.”


adding that people’s depression over economic troubles have lead to “grey and dark,” aesthetics, he said he strove with the range to spark things up.  and indeed, the palette was quite lively, with jade green, lilac, pale blue, aubergine, cherry red,aqua, lemon cream, off-white, bubblegum, black, nude, and cobalt paired alongside metallic shades of silver, gunmetal, and dusty gold and iridescent hues of  blue and purple.  patterns included delicate florals, paisley, stripes, ferns, polka dots, abstract geometrics, asian motifs, and bolder flower prints.


the show’s materials, the site runway passport informs us, included leather, organza, silk, and crinoline (i also spotted some tulle, satin, fur, and plenty of jacquard) and embellishments were quite heavy-handed, with profuse ruffles, pleats and tucks, ruching, high collars, intricate drape, sequins, elaborate buttons, feathers, layering, sheers, embroidery, corset detailing, and bows to create drama and draw attention.


dresses were of course the runway mainstays, with elaborate ball-type gowns the strongest element of the collection, although simpler cocktail frocks, jackets, frock coats, and wraps were also featured, while stylized pantsuits with ruched trousers and fanciful matching (or contrasting jackets) were a key collection trend.  within the exits themselves, there was quite a lot of variety, with some skirts cut rather high, or bodices dipping low to reveal profuse amounts of cleavage.  others, though, echoed the stuffy costumes of court: beautiful if not particularly enticing to don, with the stiff high necks, ruffs, and ponderous trains of fabric trailing along.


though there were delicate creations that spoke of both craft and precise vision, the show faltered under too much strain of spectacle and excess.  instead of looking opulent, some of the metallic and shiny pieces simply appeared rather cheap, with the high and revealing cuts that intended to be seen as modernist and couture-like reading more as kids gettin’ funky in the high school costume department after class.  this of course isn’t to say there weren’t triumphs—in the sculpted black pantsuit, as above or the immaculate white ruffledand be-furred almost elizabethan affair, for example—but when the chinese and dutch themes combined with the complexities and inherently french notions of the baroque era (and the designer’s grand imagination), aesthetics vacillated and left one wishing that he could have pared down his ideas so we might ultimately have seen unfettered the talents he doubtless possesses.

August 3, 2011   2 notes