Between the lines
Have you seen a dress that vibrates? Or have you seen a
dress so thin and transparent that is almost invisible? Well, they exist in the
newest couture collection of Iris van Herpen. She is a Dutch fashion designer, who
debuted in 2007 in the fashion industry. She is world known for her futuristic
designs, her name nowadays being equivalent to 3D printing applied in fashion. The
collection for spring 2017, released in Paris in January, is entitled Between the lines, a name that defines
the concept and the visuals altogether.
The collection is composed of 16 outfits, the majority of them being dresses. And the reason for such a small number of garments in a collection is, firstly, the cost and secondly the complex process of making them. The dresses and the single jumpsuit are made of silicone and polyurethane (PU), combine with cotton and silk for making those non-conventional materials more comfortable for wearing. This means not just the fact that she used non-conventional materials, which may be more difficult to work with, but proving her knowledge and interest in the newest technology. And, of course, having connections around the globe for making it happened. The lines for the dresses made of silicone were hand-painted thorough injection molding, a technique shown step by step in the Process film that she posted on her Youtube channel. The lines for the dresses that were made of PU were laser cut from a block of material in Atelier 13 from Bucharest and sewed together to create the garment. The technology involved in such a process of creating just one dress is not easy to find and is pretty expansive, because of that. But this complex process of creating the dresses and the materials themselves is what makes the collection special and unique. Even the title says that you have to, literally, read between the lines, where the material, the main “character” actually is.
When it comes to colors, the collection is monochrome, combining different shades of white and black. When it comes to pattern… well, it is in the title: lines. They were everywhere and in every form. Black, white, thin, thick, curved, in zig zag, forming other shapes, on the dress, cut through, in the background… what a better way of expressing an abstract concept if not through lines? When it comes to structure, some of the garments were made of more layers which showed different degrees of transparency and some were made of a single layer, being so transparent that it could be confused with the skin of the models.
The scene (room) where the collection was presented was black, covered in white zig-zag lines, models walking between those lines. The room itself wasn`t too spacious, and the public wasn`t lighted. In my opinion the lighting in the room wasn`t good at all. It was too dark and the dresses deserved to be seen clearer, especially the little details that they had and the material that they were made of. Or maybe that was the intention.
What I found far more interesting about the presentation itself was the background music. Or should I say sounds? Yes, they had a rhythm, but they weren’t actual music. More like a combination of different frequencies and vibrations. And that was the moment I realized what the concept of the collection was. Iris van Herpen never said what was her source of inspiration for this collection, she only said in an interview that she thinks about and gets inspired by abstract concepts and doesn`t use images, because she doesn`t like to recreate them. And music is not an image, even if you can`t define it as abstract. And sound is even more “abstract” that music. That`s why I strongly believe that the concept for this collection is frequency and representing visually the vibration of the sound. And what sustain this theory of mine about the concept for this collection are two dresses. More clear the dresses with number 8 and 9 (in the order they were presented in the show). They literally vibrate! It`s a visual effect created by the layers of the curved vertical lines of silicone put together on a silk dress, amplified by the movement of the model and a special rhythm in the background sound. And the dress number 15 reminded me of a bat. It was because of the A silhouette of the dress and the pitched, chaotic sound that could be heard when it came on scene. And, of course, it`s black color and the pattern formed on its surface.
Even though the last dress that had an unusual form and texture, made of silicone, is considered the climax of the show (this can be said because of its presentation), the dresses that I mentioned previously are the ones that, in my opinion, speak more about this collection. I really enjoyed watching this show because I could see what makes this fashion show being an “exhibition” and I sincerely recommend this show to everyone. And I could also see how the future of clothing will look like: the usage of non-conventional materials will be much higher, finding and making such clothes will be easier, the 3D printing will change the way we obtain clothes. Being able to see all of these in one collection proves the talent and the forward thinking that Iris van Herpen is capable of. And this is way I respect and appreciate her so much.
The collection is composed of 16 outfits, the majority of them being dresses. And the reason for such a small number of garments in a collection is, firstly, the cost and secondly the complex process of making them. The dresses and the single jumpsuit are made of silicone and polyurethane (PU), combine with cotton and silk for making those non-conventional materials more comfortable for wearing. This means not just the fact that she used non-conventional materials, which may be more difficult to work with, but proving her knowledge and interest in the newest technology. And, of course, having connections around the globe for making it happened. The lines for the dresses made of silicone were hand-painted thorough injection molding, a technique shown step by step in the Process film that she posted on her Youtube channel. The lines for the dresses that were made of PU were laser cut from a block of material in Atelier 13 from Bucharest and sewed together to create the garment. The technology involved in such a process of creating just one dress is not easy to find and is pretty expansive, because of that. But this complex process of creating the dresses and the materials themselves is what makes the collection special and unique. Even the title says that you have to, literally, read between the lines, where the material, the main “character” actually is.
When it comes to colors, the collection is monochrome, combining different shades of white and black. When it comes to pattern… well, it is in the title: lines. They were everywhere and in every form. Black, white, thin, thick, curved, in zig zag, forming other shapes, on the dress, cut through, in the background… what a better way of expressing an abstract concept if not through lines? When it comes to structure, some of the garments were made of more layers which showed different degrees of transparency and some were made of a single layer, being so transparent that it could be confused with the skin of the models.
The scene (room) where the collection was presented was black, covered in white zig-zag lines, models walking between those lines. The room itself wasn`t too spacious, and the public wasn`t lighted. In my opinion the lighting in the room wasn`t good at all. It was too dark and the dresses deserved to be seen clearer, especially the little details that they had and the material that they were made of. Or maybe that was the intention.
What I found far more interesting about the presentation itself was the background music. Or should I say sounds? Yes, they had a rhythm, but they weren’t actual music. More like a combination of different frequencies and vibrations. And that was the moment I realized what the concept of the collection was. Iris van Herpen never said what was her source of inspiration for this collection, she only said in an interview that she thinks about and gets inspired by abstract concepts and doesn`t use images, because she doesn`t like to recreate them. And music is not an image, even if you can`t define it as abstract. And sound is even more “abstract” that music. That`s why I strongly believe that the concept for this collection is frequency and representing visually the vibration of the sound. And what sustain this theory of mine about the concept for this collection are two dresses. More clear the dresses with number 8 and 9 (in the order they were presented in the show). They literally vibrate! It`s a visual effect created by the layers of the curved vertical lines of silicone put together on a silk dress, amplified by the movement of the model and a special rhythm in the background sound. And the dress number 15 reminded me of a bat. It was because of the A silhouette of the dress and the pitched, chaotic sound that could be heard when it came on scene. And, of course, it`s black color and the pattern formed on its surface.
Even though the last dress that had an unusual form and texture, made of silicone, is considered the climax of the show (this can be said because of its presentation), the dresses that I mentioned previously are the ones that, in my opinion, speak more about this collection. I really enjoyed watching this show because I could see what makes this fashion show being an “exhibition” and I sincerely recommend this show to everyone. And I could also see how the future of clothing will look like: the usage of non-conventional materials will be much higher, finding and making such clothes will be easier, the 3D printing will change the way we obtain clothes. Being able to see all of these in one collection proves the talent and the forward thinking that Iris van Herpen is capable of. And this is way I respect and appreciate her so much.
Sources:
Iris van Herpen spring 2017 couture collection – Amy Verner http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2017-couture/iris-van-herpen
Process film – Ryan McDanials for Iris van Herpen Between the lines 2017 couture collection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiE3yVULRBY
Alexandra Geanina Burtiuc,
second year at History and Theory of Art and second year at Fashion Design
second year at History and Theory of Art and second year at Fashion Design
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