At Mary Katrantzou’s Spring 2012 show, models stepped onto an old Eurostar terminal runway lined with thousands of bright, bold blossoms – flower vs. concrete, neons vs. metallics.
But that was only the beginning of it. Mary Katrantzou’s hyper-real vision blended industry and nature in a stunning spring awakening, “Man meets Machine meets Mother Earth.” Juxtaposed by two realms of inspiration, dresses were bathed in a sea of endless prints of organic bases – fish scales, feathers, coral reefs, cherry blossoms and accentuated with metal touches.
Models dripping in color from lip to Christian Louboutins were swathed in contrasting textures and fabrics, chiffon to Mylar, that was meant to transform flat graphics into 3-D masterpieces. The asymmetrical cuts and crisp lines found on color-blocked blazers and printed trousers mirrored the sharpness of tin cans, metal drums, and car parts.
The one-shouldered wraps, loose gatherings of fabric, and long, flowing trains resembled the flamboyant tropical birds’ plumages or the wings of a butterfly. Each outfit, a canvas for absolute free expression, and each so delicately embroidered, laden with beading to crushed, crystallized metal bits.
Indeed, Mary Katrantzou infused the distorted into even the most serene. Her Spring 2012 collection a perfectly melded alloy of intrinsic beauty and fabricated artistry.
By: Emily Chen
