September 19, 2016 |
There was a screen at the Manuel Facchini presentation. Revolutionary, I know, but bare with me. On one side of the room stood models, in the new SS17 collection, a rotating mirrored platform among them, on the other side of the room was the screen, onto which was project a “fragmented, static reflection” of the models in the room, giving the whole thing a creepy Cronenberg Videodrome vibe. Manuel took his inspiration this season from “the winding ribs of the Centennial Chromograph”, and also “the Betta Splendens, the fighting fish with voluptuous fringed fins”. And how did both these contrasting points of reference translate into Manuel’s tough yet feminine dresses? Long rigid bands of dark tape held together with delicate lace that appeared almost weblike, creating a sort of delicate, gauzy veil over bare flesh, and softening into almost nothingness as they travelled down the body.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
