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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

National pride: Iris van Herpen




Couture Week in Paris is well underway, and a great source of national pride is the participation of fashion designer Iris van Herpen. Admittedly, I haven't paid that much attention to Dutch designers of late, but I wanted to see what she was all about and I was very pleasantly surprised. The collection she designed for fall 2013, called "Wilderness embodies", is very state-of-the-art and organic. Van Herpen works with laser cut-outs and 3-D printing. Yes, some of her designs are pretty out there - case in point being the rubber chicken dress above - but the artistry is undeniable. 

However, what really impressed me were some of the more low-key designs, like the ones below. Aside from the shoes (I'm just not that good in heels, especially not ones that you need two guys to help you navigate stairs in!) I could seriously picture donning the nude dress with the silver cut-out detailing or even a more subtle version of the khaki creation below though. 

Via New York Times

What I love so much about couture is that these aren't just clothes. They're works of art, with studio's full of seamstresses working on each detail by hand. I could never justify paying the crazy amounts that these pieces command, but I can understand why they cost as much as they do. The hours and dedication that go into each piece is crazy, particularly in light of our current obsession with fast fashion. It's a lovely tradition of craftsmanship that I hope endures.








All photographs via Vogue.com.

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