Luxurious takes on China
By Liu Xiaolin |
July 17, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has been casting a growing influence on the fashion industry as more and more luxury houses start to focus on Chinese culture for fresh inspiration.
Last week in Beijing, a fashion gala launched by French style magazine Marie Claire unveiled 24 designs from 19 world-class fashion brands, featuring various interpretations on the topic of "Crossover" with Chinese elements.
The crossover isn't simply application of Chinese red or patterns of Chinese dragons and lucky clouds. It's creative blending of Chinese culture, art and music. Designs varied from couture dresses, handbags and accessories to fans, furniture and video clips.
Forbidden City
A photo of the grand vermillion gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing inspired Graeme Fidler and Michael Herz, creative directors of Swiss shoe brand Bally, to design this pair of red ballerina flats.
"One of the photos we took on our recent trip to Beijing captures a vermillion gate in the Forbidden City with gilded doornails," Fidler and Herz said. "It's simple but magnificent, breathtakingly beautiful. The Forbidden City is stunning."
Fashioned with golden studs and lines, this pair of ballerina flats is no doubt an eye-catching embellishment to make a dressy daytime outfit.
Papercut
A big red papercut of the Chinese character "fu," meaning happiness and luck, appears on the dress of French designer Agnes b. made for the gala. She said when she found the papercut in Paris, she asked teachers at a local Chinese kindergarten what the character meant.
"When I was told it means happiness, I was instantly inspired to make this dress," said the designer. "I decided to put this papercut together with a street photo of the city of Paris, meaning love and peace."
Fiona Cibani, creative director of Ports 1961, said her draggle-tail dress came from the superb creative process of Chinese papercuts. "Its symmetrical techniques are the most crucial part. When you bring it in to full play, papercuts become a fashion style," Cibani said.
Qiang embroidery
Teamed with gifted embroiderers from the Qiang minority in Sichuan Province, Dolce & Gabbana presents an exquisite short tube wedding gown decorated with ethnical Qiang embroidery, an ancient craftsmanship that once prevailed in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
This well-tailored dress, elaborately embroidered with blooming peonies, one of the iconic patterns of Qiang embroidery conveying best wishes for happiness, tells a stunning tale when Italian fashion meets Chinese tradition.
"We're totally overwhelmed by the impeccable techniques of these craftswomen. With the help of ancient embroidery, it perfectly blends Italian culture with Chinese," said Domenico Dolce.
Chinese folding fan
French luxury house Louis Vuitton showcased a deluxe tailor-made folding fan. Fashioned with Monogram lace, the fan is exclusively handmade by the one and only fan-making cottage craft workshop in Paris.
"This exceptional piece is an amazing travel invitation to China and other Oriental destinations ... with strong Asian influences, it reinterpreted as Chinoiserie decorative and exclusive pieces," said creative director Marc Jacobs, who recently received the CFDA's Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.
He added the piece is made for the Louis Vuitton women "who like glamor ... and are strong and want to display the Louis Vuitton logo."
Chinese Jade
Marcel Marongiu, creative director of French brand Guy Laroche, has a long-time fascination for Chinese culture. He has been to China more than 30 times over the past two decades.
Smitten by the mysterious charisma of Chinese jade, this time, he turned his love for the jewel into a divine emerald paillette dress and a silk coat of the same color to go with it.
"I have always been fascinated to see Chinese women choose jade jewels and jade lucky charms in the beautiful little boutiques of the romantic antique markets," said Marongiu, adding that this dress is for women who are "like fires buried under icebergs."
Antique furniture & silk
Chinese antique furniture and silks are magically used by avant-garde designer Zhang Lei in a sofa for the ages-old Italian leather product house Fendi. It took Zhang nearly a year to finish the design with Fendi's craftsmen in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
While making the sofa, Zhang borrowed the techniques of making pillows and sewed six Fendi cattle hides of different sizes and colors with Hangzhou silks.
"We were out of cattle hides in the middle of the work," Zhang said, "so I decided to use silk instead. In the end, the mix of silk and cattle hides proves to be the most successful detail of the whole design."
It is decorated with a dated headboard removed from a worn-out Ming-style wooden bed Zhang collected from the small town of Tangqi near Hangzhou.
"My works usually focus on the innovation of traditional Chinese culture and craftsmanship. It's such a rare chance to work with European craftsmen," said Zhang.
Last week in Beijing, a fashion gala launched by French style magazine Marie Claire unveiled 24 designs from 19 world-class fashion brands, featuring various interpretations on the topic of "Crossover" with Chinese elements.
The crossover isn't simply application of Chinese red or patterns of Chinese dragons and lucky clouds. It's creative blending of Chinese culture, art and music. Designs varied from couture dresses, handbags and accessories to fans, furniture and video clips.
Forbidden City
A photo of the grand vermillion gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing inspired Graeme Fidler and Michael Herz, creative directors of Swiss shoe brand Bally, to design this pair of red ballerina flats.
"One of the photos we took on our recent trip to Beijing captures a vermillion gate in the Forbidden City with gilded doornails," Fidler and Herz said. "It's simple but magnificent, breathtakingly beautiful. The Forbidden City is stunning."
Fashioned with golden studs and lines, this pair of ballerina flats is no doubt an eye-catching embellishment to make a dressy daytime outfit.
Papercut
A big red papercut of the Chinese character "fu," meaning happiness and luck, appears on the dress of French designer Agnes b. made for the gala. She said when she found the papercut in Paris, she asked teachers at a local Chinese kindergarten what the character meant.
"When I was told it means happiness, I was instantly inspired to make this dress," said the designer. "I decided to put this papercut together with a street photo of the city of Paris, meaning love and peace."
Fiona Cibani, creative director of Ports 1961, said her draggle-tail dress came from the superb creative process of Chinese papercuts. "Its symmetrical techniques are the most crucial part. When you bring it in to full play, papercuts become a fashion style," Cibani said.
Qiang embroidery
Teamed with gifted embroiderers from the Qiang minority in Sichuan Province, Dolce & Gabbana presents an exquisite short tube wedding gown decorated with ethnical Qiang embroidery, an ancient craftsmanship that once prevailed in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
This well-tailored dress, elaborately embroidered with blooming peonies, one of the iconic patterns of Qiang embroidery conveying best wishes for happiness, tells a stunning tale when Italian fashion meets Chinese tradition.
"We're totally overwhelmed by the impeccable techniques of these craftswomen. With the help of ancient embroidery, it perfectly blends Italian culture with Chinese," said Domenico Dolce.
Chinese folding fan
French luxury house Louis Vuitton showcased a deluxe tailor-made folding fan. Fashioned with Monogram lace, the fan is exclusively handmade by the one and only fan-making cottage craft workshop in Paris.
"This exceptional piece is an amazing travel invitation to China and other Oriental destinations ... with strong Asian influences, it reinterpreted as Chinoiserie decorative and exclusive pieces," said creative director Marc Jacobs, who recently received the CFDA's Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.
He added the piece is made for the Louis Vuitton women "who like glamor ... and are strong and want to display the Louis Vuitton logo."
Chinese Jade
Marcel Marongiu, creative director of French brand Guy Laroche, has a long-time fascination for Chinese culture. He has been to China more than 30 times over the past two decades.
Smitten by the mysterious charisma of Chinese jade, this time, he turned his love for the jewel into a divine emerald paillette dress and a silk coat of the same color to go with it.
"I have always been fascinated to see Chinese women choose jade jewels and jade lucky charms in the beautiful little boutiques of the romantic antique markets," said Marongiu, adding that this dress is for women who are "like fires buried under icebergs."
Antique furniture & silk
Chinese antique furniture and silks are magically used by avant-garde designer Zhang Lei in a sofa for the ages-old Italian leather product house Fendi. It took Zhang nearly a year to finish the design with Fendi's craftsmen in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
While making the sofa, Zhang borrowed the techniques of making pillows and sewed six Fendi cattle hides of different sizes and colors with Hangzhou silks.
"We were out of cattle hides in the middle of the work," Zhang said, "so I decided to use silk instead. In the end, the mix of silk and cattle hides proves to be the most successful detail of the whole design."
It is decorated with a dated headboard removed from a worn-out Ming-style wooden bed Zhang collected from the small town of Tangqi near Hangzhou.
"My works usually focus on the innovation of traditional Chinese culture and craftsmanship. It's such a rare chance to work with European craftsmen," said Zhang.
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