Vionnet AW 2012
The Croce sisters, Barbara and Lucia, delighted the audience at their first A/W collection for Vionnet during Paris Fashion week with an ambrosial glance to the past. The duo -who both share a history in fashion powerhouses including Miu Miu, Valentino, and Ralph Lauren amongst others – replaced Rodolfo Paglialunga as creative directors, and since their arrival the house has travelled back in time to the days of Madeleine Vionnet herself with the right touch of novelty; conscientious cuts, perfect fabrics and the infallible philosophy of dressing the woman versus the mere construction of clothes, made this collection somewhat revolutionary in the storyline of the maison’s biography.
In contrast to what drove Paglialunga during his tenure – the unforgettable sumptuous evening dresses adept of red carpet events – the Croce sisters focused on day wear, focusing on modern day Miss Vionnets -professional women who are sensual and feminine but never in a vulgar manner, as Barbara adds.
The stylistic codes of the collection are essentially based on the historical archives of the house. Intrasio, the process of mixing and blending by inlaying one fabric into one another, was a signature established by Madeleine Vionnet herself. This, together with the legendary bias cuts and the quintessentially classic geometric draping techniques have produced a simpler, more refreshing collection in contrast to the elaborate constructions, mostly involving peplums and corsetery, that are dominating most catwalks.
The collection was based on contrasts between hard and soft fabrics moulded together in intrasio; so wool, alpaca furs, gabardines mixed delicately with chiffon, light organza, the ever-present crepe de chine and georgette to create eye defying designs. A look that initially resembles an ensemble of a sweater and skirt is actually a dress created out of a fusion of draping techniques. The knits play some trompe l’oeils as well, where fabrics are precisely woven to impersonate marqueterie. The furs continue along this line through the combination of long haired fox fur and sheared beaver, and the different shades of marmot merging on the hem of a swing-coat.
It can be said that the fabrics lose their essence in this collection, where even leather is an extremely supple fabric and plays graceful around the curves of the body, and jackets drape effortlessly like silk curtains. This only aids the movement of the outfits: picturesque undulating hems that respect the nature of the fabrics, tunics that have ultra-sensual openings at the spine and resemble wings in movement, and deep tailored cuts that echo throughout the entire show.
The evening gowns, after seeking reference to the bias cut, were simple in essence, created mainly from draping fabrics around the models. They were at times delicately embellished with mosaic-like sequins made of stone or broken glass. Not to mention, the slinky asymmetric lines to balance the irregular and jagged hems. There were a lot of trousers in the collection with that varied from skinny cuts to sinuous drapes, billowing either translucent or opaque fabrics.
The color palette contained sober natural hues of walnut, deep mahogany, grey and camel, with sharp,exciting touches of vivid shades of cobalt, acid chartreuse coral and lapis blue.
It is clear that the Croce sisters have opened a new chapter in the story of Vionnet: translating ancient looks into contemporary styles, and steering away from current trends and creating new ones, keeping in mind tradition.
