Chalayan Grounded
by Katharina Withelm posted on March 10, 2009First of all I just want to say, I have always loved Hussein Chalayan’s work!
As one of fashion’s leading avant-gardists, he is famous for his amazing designs that verge on art or science, as we remember the “coffee-table-dress” or the one disappearing in a hat which looked like an lampshade…
However, this time his Fall/Winter 2009 collection was in a sense more down to earth. But then perhaps like everyone else in this bad economy, he has realised he has to start making more wearable clothes to stay in business.
In one way this is what Chalayan means when he said “the collection was all about being grounded, or in touch with the earth, as opposed to globalisation; the ides of being in one place and imagining other worlds.”
He used utilitarian eco-friendly fabrics such as cardboard, neoprene and rubber and graced them with urban prints, suggesting rock, granite, muddy water as well as some showing windows, foundations and beams.
The prints also escaped on silk panels, which appeared among the tougher materials as well as sequins made of wood and plastic to ease the shapes of the outfits.
The models came up with leather bustiers in every imaginable colour, including eye-popping turquoise, yellow, green and red neons, micro-minis, high-heeled wader-style boots and this season‘s must-have boyfriend-sized leather jackets and leather leggins. (I definitely have to get one, albeit a more bargain-priced version of course!)
Even though this collection was still a fanciful work of art, in some way for me the ‘Chalayan effect’ was missing. Hopefully when the economy gets more healthy, he will feel secure enough to go wild again.
Because we still need visionaries!








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