They were maidens, nymphs and princesses; they were snow queens and witches; they were naive girls stalked by wolves in the forest, and they were the wolves; they were beauties as well as beasts. They were the models of the Fall 2014 shows, strolling down enchanted paths instead of catwalks, for these were not ordinary fashion shows, but fairy tales written by fashion designers, told in the form of a collection of outfits rather than pages in a book.
Alice + Olivia
Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia was inspired by a charming, albeit dark, Benjamin Lacombe pop-up book. She composed her own fairy tale entitled Enchanted: The Search for the Golden Monarch that was printed on scrolls for the audience and acted out by the models. The collection was sexy, otherworldly, and a little bit trippy, with butterfly prints, heavy embellishments, and elements from both the Victorian era and the 1970s. It was party attire fit for a villainous fairy princess.
Dolce & Gabbana
“Enchanted Sicily” opened up with a huge mystical tree, enshrouded in purple mist, spiraling up out of the ground. Joan of Arc walked alongside Little Red Riding Hood in Dolce & Gabbana’s secret garden. There were fantastical hoods in both fur and chainmail, whimsical appliques of foxes, geese, owls, and squirrels, and pointy slippers and gauntlet-like gloves encrusted with jewels. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana bewitched their usual tailored, womanly garments with the naiveté and magic of bedtime stories.
Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton chose stables as her setting and had the floor lined with heather, moss, and fallen leaves so the models appeared to be treading through the undergrowth of a moonlit wood. The silhouettes were rather childlike – the dresses hung like bells upon the models’ shoulders, swinging playfully as they walked. There were double bell sleeves, long hemlines, smocking and even pom poms, and high collars tied with black ribbons in a juvenile fashion. But amidst the innocence and the charm were dark undertones reminiscent of a Brothers Grimm tale, a savage quality in the fur and feathers and the models’ frosted-over faces.
By Persephone Price
Photos courtesy of Style.com
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