The fourth day of Amsterdam International Fashion Week was packed with shows. Long delays made the crowds not leave the last show untill after 11 PM. But luckily, the waits were mostly worth it as it was creativity galore this day.
Designer Claes Iversen showed his S/S 09 collection in an intimate salons etting. His line was inspired by an evergreen in fashion: the blouse.
Every look was inspired by different aspects of the blouse: the silhouette, the buttons, the pockets, the fabrics, you name it.
He showed a see-through black tunic with trompe-l’ouil pockets, a look inspired by the three piece mens costume – complete with penguintails – and one amazing satin dress where Iversen used black buttons as decoration. The buttons crawled up from as low as the waist, up to the top of her neck.
Lots of his designs had surprises in the back, with great details and collars running down to the derriere, or open backs that left little to the imagination. Iversen showed how much you can vary with one classic item of clothing in a great way.
Later, Dutch denim line Blue Blood took to the catwalk in front of a celebrity packed audience.
Even actress Carice van Houten – who is set to star as Tom Cruise’s wife in the upcoming movie Valkyrie – attended the show. The brand played with their title color: blue.
They dyed cuffs, collars and shirts in subtle shades of sky. The collection featured some great accessories, such as leather manbags, geek glasses and slim unisex belts with the Blue Blood logo.
The short show could have been a little more exciting with more, varying looks. But for the image the brand wants to portray, it worked out fine.
An hour later than scheduled, designer duo Eva and Delia presented their latest collection for their brand EnD.
The collection was a modern, perhaps futuristic take on totem poles and the stories told around them. They interpreted it with eighties colors and wild prints supported by straight, graphic lines.
The collection functioned as a transition to a more mature label, and they were finding a balance between young and mature looks. The young and fun became obvious in the models’ poses.
They had lips, eyes and noses painted on their hands, which they would place before their faces at the end of the runway. The clothes felt sleek and wearable and were for sure a great transition.
Closing the day was Antoine Peters. The conceptual designer showed a surprisingly wearable collection entitled ‘Making An Elephant Of A Mosquito.
Peters experimented with proportions – from t-shirtdresses to full on burqas with stuffed, little elephants on placed on top – prints of insects, huge mosquitos but also pointilistic lines and colors varying from bright yellows and pinks to classic greys and whites.
He tapped a hot political issue surrounding the burqa (the European governments can’t stop discussing the fate of the burqa). As the title of the collection obviously tackles his vision on the issue, the first look was a burqa sculpted into the head of an elephant, complete with ears and a trunk. The collection was an amazing example of craft, vision and creativity.
The fact that he interpreted a political issue without even making it too obvious (I talked to people who didn’t even notice it) showed what a great artist Antoine Peters really is. This was without doubt the show of the week.
Photos courtesy of www.aifw.nl and the Fashion Spot forums.
