Sunday, October 12, 2008

Speed Freak


If you were a mad scientist whose experiments happened to take shape on dress forms, you'd be the heir apparent to Hussein Chalayan's distinctive throne. Fond of the spectacle, Chalayan has always presented beautifully designed pieces with a little something extra. Collections past have been crafted from wood, loaded with lasers, and even fitted with remote control shape-shifting devices. This spring he's collaged dresses with shimmering images of shattered glass (check this beauty out in the video above at about 40 seconds) and crunched cars, commenting on the crash inducing speed of modern life. His finale dresses really drove the point home.

Models in molded-latex minis stood in the eye of a wind storm while glasses were smashed around them. The current apocalyptic mood made this an eerily spot-on show. And, even if the end dresses were more of a statement than a workable wardrobe option, the rest of the collection offered enough wearable selections to keep Chalayan from falling into the conceptual abyss. Chalayan made speed a look like a designer drug.

Images: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse for Style.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dude, whoa. The shape shifting outfits made me feel strange. I've never been creeped out and completely amazed by clothing before. Well, maybe at thrift stores, but it's a bit different. How did he do it? And how can I get the finale piece for some bedtime fun? His new show leaves me speechless! What a talent.