Aquarius season highlights our individualism and uniqueness. During the sun's transit through the eleventh house, our minds swell with visions of the future and we crave drastic change. Aquarius makes us inventive too! Ruled by unusual Uranus, the planet of progression, individual ideas and creativity, the water bearer nurtures the community and nudges society forwards with their visionary thinking and humanitarian efforts. During Aquarius season, individuality and expression take priority. We feel compelled to make a statement and have our voice heard. It makes us more receptive to new ideas, which could be why some designers were able to make such likable presentations during Paris Couture Week. Forward thinking and futuristic, this season’s designers showcased rebellious, tech-inspired collections which went against the grain (or fabric, in this case) quite literally!
The Maison Margiela Spring 2018 Couture runway show zoomed in on the phone-camera/social-media phenomenon. As Galliano’s collection walked, audience members were asked to turn their cameras on flash to capture their own unique images of the fabrics as they strobed and refracted into high-tech prismatic rainbows as they moved. The effect captured a double-vision experience: The human eye showed one reality, and the screen another—the before and after are paired next to each other in the photos above!
Advocates of progress and change, Aquarians are often quite political. Starting with the Women's March and followed by a slew of Red-carpet statements, this Aquarius season has shown us once more what strength we have in numbers, and that there is so much good to come out of pooling our resources and standing up for each other.
Prominent feminist and designer for Christian Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri displayed her surrealist interpretation of the dreams of women, which included a checkerboard runway, future forward face masks, and other optical details which made for an unforgettable haute couture collection. "Surrealism speaks about dreams and the unconscious, and often about women’s bodies. It’s very close to fashion." says Chiuri.
Her persistence in speaking as a feminist has placed the Dior name in a favorable position amongst celebrities and the liberal elite as far as the optics of politicized brand choices are concerned.
Another designer with distinct political message was A.F. Vandevorst. To mark their 20th anniversary as a brand, An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx presented one pieces from each of their past 40 collections together, reviving their archive and styling it with a modern perspective. The title, Always+Forever, expressed peace and love; the tone signaled by giant white flags which boldly sliced through the air on the catwalk.
With a nod to nurses and Red Cross symbolism, Vandevorst's anti-war statement could not have been clearer. Those who have followed the Belgian couple’s work can recognize the idiosyncratic statements made outside the trend pool, and anyone viewing this collection for the first time can conclude that their dramatic vision has held up well.
Another oddball couture show was the Valentino collection by Pierpaolo Piccioli’s. How can a designer toss around operatic shapes, bows, and traditional fantasy, meanwhile convincing a modern woman there’s a way she can approach wearing it? The thing about Piccioli is that he’s also a walking contradiction: a down-to-earth dreamer capable of materializing completely new concepts and making them practical (or at least, fashionable)! He made a point of naming each look after its maker—thereby honoring the huge scope of the capabilities of Valentino.
Bold color palettes and rule breaking weren't the only techniques designers used to make a statement on the runway this season...
Designer Iris Van Herpen turned heads in Paris with her exquisite ingenuity and originality. Her 3-D printed illusion fabric innovations have become so precise that can it appears she resurface the topography of the human body by magic. Inspired by nature and using processes that defy fashion, the observational interpreter's collection will be remembered by its quivering scales, undulating shapes, and exceptional lightness.
Conquering the frontiers of sartorial expression has been a delicate balancing act for Iris van Herpen whos designs ride the line between high fashion and science fiction. The opening Foliage dress required 260 hours of 3-D printing and endless other high-tech processes to engineer, however despite the labor-intensive nature of the clothes — albeit often involving machines, with there was a supernatural immateriality to the collection which placed it a cut above the rest.
What did you think of this year's couture shows? Will you be incorporating any of these high-brow, Aquarian concepts into your Spring/Summer wardrobe?
