Walter Van Beirendonck was clowning around this season. Inspired by the circus, the clothes were the epitome of playful: think party hats with 3D polka-dotted suits and smiley face T-shirts, tessellated trousers and gingham tunics with ruff collars. A few of the tops featured vivid graphics depicting armed “terror toys” carrying guns, grenades and chainsaws.
His message was one of finding your bliss whilst the world chaotically crumbles around you. In spite of the rather heavy realities of the zeitgeist, we must awaken each day and continue to make the “simple moves” that when collected together, can make a difference. “The world explodes and I’m DREAMING. The world explodes and I’m HAPPY. The world explodes and I’m DANCING,” he wrote in the show notes.
And so, models sported painted smiles on expressionless faces as they competed in Beirendonck’s game of “micro against maxi”. Silhouettes ebbed and flowed, ballooning in some places and clinging to the body in others. The influence of Charlie Chaplin’s signature tiny top, big bottom, silhouette was distinct.
The cartoonish, 40-look offering also debuted an exclusive preview of a collaborative capsule with G-Star Raw which focused on assembling pieces without stitching. Instead, the two used glue-bonding finished with reinforced red tape to assemble the clothes. Beyond the collab, Beirendonck developed his Alcantara puzzle pieces using that same stitch-less technique, resulting in tailoring and cape-like jackets that were assembled like the outfits of paper dolls.
The Belgian designer’s closing sentiment was this: “SMILE! Because I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE… And you are in it.” An apt ending for an utterly joyous outing.
Photography courtesy of Walter Van Beirendonck.
