It’s not the first time that I review the gorgeous Mary Katrantzou, who won last year’s Swiss Textile Award. To read the interview I did with her, please click here.
The Athens-born designer has always experimented with prints, inspired by the art of trompe l’oeil. Since the launch of her eponymous label in 2008, she has wowed the fashion world. Mary Katrantzou belongs to those breakout stars of the digital print revolution that has been sweeping London’s designers.
For S/S 2011, the collection she won the Swiss Textile Award with, she’d been looking at the highly stylized seventies photography of Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin when it occurred to her that the interiors in the pictures were just as important as the models. So she decided “to put the room on the woman”. The outcome is a pop-neo-baroque collection that transforms the dresses into lamp shades for example. It must be hellishly difficult to put the placement print on the right spot of a skirt in order not to make you look clumsy. But the most watched UK talent knows her business well. I would highly recommend looking for a great piece from her S/S 2011 collection on sale now.
This is my favourite dress from the S/S 2011 collection that I wore last night to an art dinner. The theme of the night was architecture and I thought that the print matched pretty well.
For F/W 2011, Mary Katrantzou could invest her Swiss Textiles Award trophy money to create an outstanding collection inspired by the most luxurious collectibles in a house. There were dresses done in couture silhouettes that were formed from Fabergé eggs, Meissen porcelain, cloisonne enamel and Ming vases. Her muse was the Duchess of Windsor and her personal belongings. Each girl looked delicate in her dress, like as if you were to drop her she would shatter. A very strong collection!
I cannot wait for more Mary to come!
LoL, Sandra
