Viktor & Rolf S/S 2013

What is a Viktor & Rolf show without the pomp and circumstance – the sets that put Broadway shows to shame, the audacious spirit that sets tongues wagging? Turns out that a Viktor and Rolf collection sans theatrics is every bit as good – if not better. The design duo’s S/S 13 showing was a streamlined and elegant take on Hollywood glamour, done in a manor that was thoughtful and original. Using mirrors and their mystery as springboard for creativity, Snoeren and Horsting created an understated (for them) collection replete with beauty.

Much of that beauty came from the reflective motif used throughout the collection. Whether that meant models emerging on a mirrored staircase looking like long lost silver screen heroines, or girls wearing metalic dresses that moved like liquid metal: the theme proved visually powerful. As potent were the exquisitely detailed dresses that featured details that looked like glass shards arranged into bows and flowers. The juxtaposition between the dainty, almost childlike sweetness of the ribbon shapes and the inherent danger of broken glass made a compelling statement. We’re counting the minutes until the closing gown on Caroline Brasch Nielsen finds its way onto the lithe frame of a red carpet regular.

For all this talk of pared down, non-theatrical simplicity, this wasn’t a collection that lacked for drama. There was a sensual undercurrent that revealed itself via thigh high slits and a barely there ensemble on Aymeline Valade. More than simply being sexy, the V&R woman this season was powerful, but in a way that was inherently alluring. These weren’t the deadly warrior women of season’s past, they were sirens; the women of S/S 13’s power lay in their ability to woo and be wooed. Think vintage seductresses Veronica Lake – whose waves were given a soft modernization by Luigi Murenu backstage or Lauren Bacall, whose pristine face appears on one of those covetable sequined sweaters.

Photos: Stephan Moskovic
Text: Janelle Okowodu

Hair: Luigi Murenu
Makeup: Pat McGrath
Styling: Marie-Amélie Sauvé
Casting: Andrew Weir for ACW (ACW Worldwide)
Set design: Alexandre de Betak for Bureau Betak

Related Posts:

• 
  Z Zegna F/W 2012
• 
  Berluti F/W 2012
• 
  Rick Owens F/W 2012
• 
  Viktor & Rolf F/W 2012
• 
  Anna Sui S/S 13
• 
  i-D's Role Models by Luigi Murenu & Daniele + Iango