A Wren Says

A friend sent me a short video of the Viktor & Rolf 2023 Couture show, captioned with the message, “Now this, this is high fashion.”

I think what a lot of people get wrong about couture shows, and fashion shows in general, is that every single piece that comes down the runway needs to be wearable. Fashion is an art form. Until we understand it as a language of artistic expression, we are going to keep missing the meaning it conveys. If the pieces in that collection seem ridiculous, you can bet it was intentional. They wanted you to embrace impossibility. They wanted to subvert what you thought you knew about dresses and fashion, and in turn maybe you would reconsider what you think you know about this present world of fast paced news and technology

There were other beautiful wearable dresses shown which are largely ignored in the commentary. I would be much more likely to buy one of those than I would be ever caught buying one of the fantasy dresses from that collection, despite how wealthy I am in that alternate future. I would just never wear it. But I don’t think that even is the point.

One of the main aspects of couture is an approach to craftmanship. Viktor & Rolf used a combination of 3D printing along with their mastery of sewing and textiles. Can you really deny how much detail has to go into making a dress out of fabric that keeps its shape when worn upside down or sideways? But can you also think more deeply about why someone would even choose to orient the dresses that way?

I want to learn more about couture as artistry, as a way of expressing a point of view to the world. I want to understand the designers’ frame of reference, their inspiration, and how both of those impact that season’s line. When if first started this blog I did more of that research. Maybe it is time to restart that learning journey.

Source used:

Templeton, L. (January 25, 2023). Viktor & Rolf Couture Spring 2023. WWD. https://wwd.com/runway/spring-2023/paris/viktor-rolf/review/