I've taken a bit long to follow-up my interview with Xuan-Thu Nguyen with looks from her haute couture show in January, but the timing is just right as I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow to attend her Fall/Winter haute couture show on Tuesday (and yes, I'm stupid with excitement) and this makes for a nice teaser/prelude.
If you read the interview you know what makes Thu's garments so special is the detail, which goes beyond simple embellishment. Many of the looks she sent down the runway for her spring/summer show began as one thing and transformed into another - specifically, jackets and dresses that bloomed when unsnapped. And then there's the fox stole made entirely of flowers:
These colours combined with the various smocking techniques
and those strippy bows is just delicious
A 'fox' capelet
I love how the shoes give a hint as to what's
hidden beneath the snaps of the dress (header photo)
Notice the subtle embroidery on the top.
The print on that skirt is a dream.
What a stunner. Both the front and back offer something
beautiful and unique with the elegant ruching and those
strips that are somehow chaotic and sublime at once:
The metallic fibres and the thick, wooly yarn each offer their own
wonderful texture, and they feel lovely on
If you read the interview you know what makes Thu's garments so special is the detail, which goes beyond simple embellishment. Many of the looks she sent down the runway for her spring/summer show began as one thing and transformed into another - specifically, jackets and dresses that bloomed when unsnapped. And then there's the fox stole made entirely of flowers:
When I think of haute couture I think of exquisite detail upon exquisite detail, a piece of clothing that at first glance blurs the eyes and leaves you compelled to stare in the hopes of unravelling the glorious chaos. Xuan-Thu Nguyen delivers this with an undeniable joy.
These colours combined with the various smocking techniques
and those strippy bows is just delicious
A 'fox' capelet
I love how the shoes give a hint as to what's
hidden beneath the snaps of the dress (header photo)
Notice the subtle embroidery on the top.
The print on that skirt is a dream.
What a stunner. Both the front and back offer something
beautiful and unique with the elegant ruching and those
strips that are somehow chaotic and sublime at once:
Here's the video of the show where you can see some of the detail a bit better and watch the clothes transform:
When I visited Thu's boutique in the Marais in April I got to see her couture necklaces which look fun at first glance but they are much more than that. They take four days to make - each 'bead', like an exquisite ball of twine, is created by hand and the technique is the designer's secret. In fact, a major retail chain copied Thu's design but made them cheaply and no surprise, they fell apart and had to be recalled after a week. H. and. M.
The metallic fibres and the thick, wooly yarn each offer their own
wonderful texture, and they feel lovely on
you lucky thing!
have a great trip.
Posted by: the projectivist | July 06, 2009 at 03:25 PM
Beautiful craftsmanship - blossoms beads embroidery. I do adore the last dress - it's as if an elegant egyptian princess walked again. Sorry the weather over here hasn't been better for your trip!
Posted by: le style et la matiere | July 07, 2009 at 06:09 PM
oh my, they are all such beautiful things!
Posted by: hanako66 | July 08, 2009 at 12:25 AM
These are such wonderful pieces. Thanks for sharing. And I'm beyond jealous of your visit to Paris for couture...
Posted by: dreamsequins | July 10, 2009 at 02:40 AM
Oh my god, thanks for showing me these! What lovely work! This is my style! I love them all. I just want to eat them all up!
Posted by: Jen Laceda | July 10, 2009 at 03:57 AM