A rose by any other name may still smell as sweet but would a couture gown in anything but the most exquisite fabrics still be seen as precious?
Depends how shallow you are.
While the answer to that is between you and yourself, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren served up a commentary on spectacle and substance in their fall couture show.
Backstage, the Dutch design duo said they had titled the show “Gilded Age 2.0,” in reference to the era we are living in, with Snoeren adding they were looking to tease beauty out of the decadence.
On a circular platform figuring a bedroom, models Nathalie Haerlemans and Elpida Voryas Georgiadi mirrored each other’s movements, as if separated by a looking glass that didn’t perfectly reflect.
In near-perfect unison, they reached into garment bags, boxes and drawers for outfits they pulled on and off unaided. The biggest difference between them was that Voryas Georgiadi’s versions came in tones of gold with embellishments of sequins and other shiny baubles, while Haerlemans’ options were cut from burlap in a variety of weave and weights.
Adroitly, the Dutch design duo skirted passing judgment by offering pairs that were equally rich, such as the opening miniskirt followed by a matching blouse with balloon sleeves, augmented at the back by mini-crinolines tucked in pleats, as did long tiered dresses with a high ruffled neckline.
Throughout, they put their arsenal of couture techniques to good use to find equivalents with, say, beaded gold fringes on a minidress echoed in the way edges were painstakingly frayed on the more modest material. The French knots running up the skirt, bodice and each of the many bows of another look did not look like a cop-out compared to its sequined counterpart.
A third example was the coat with ruffled mutton-leg sleeves that had roses all over, geometric origami-style ones reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh at the hem that evolved into three-dimensional rounded versions at the shoulders.
Which colorway you prefer came down to a matter of taste.
The words “Restraint” and “Decadence” perched on the shoulders of the final pair in 3D lettering spelled out the topic at hand. In the age of social media, it goes without saying which side seems to be pulling ahead.
Addressing this in meaningful ways will take more than a couture lineup but you have to hand it to Horsting and Snoeren, they sure made good use of their platform to lay out the options.
