Chosing to opt out of the hectic Paris Fashion Week show schedule for SS17, it isn’t surprising that A.F. Vandevorst looked towards liberation, rebellion and freedom as catalysts for this collection. Instead of a traditional runway show, An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx instead chose to work with artist Dirk Braeckman, and create a short film – featuring a woman who, on the day of her wedding, decides not to get married, and runs away with friends to Pukkelpop festival in Belgium – to demonstrate the clothes in movement and craft a story of independence. Just like the film, doing the unexpected is what A.F. Vandevorst does.
Movements
The subtle deconstruction of the garments pushed A.F. Vandevorst to create brand new silhouettes for SS17. With precise details twisting elements, forcing them to drift from the body (see the men’s tuxedo jacket) made the clothes appear to be slipping, twisting and sliding around the body. Sheared hems were layered over blue jeans and black sheen tights, while delicate lace played peek-a-boo and fishnets were paired with a plaid shirt that had long ties made for trailing in the breeze.
Take Flight
Taking the idea of flying away into the literal, A.F. Vandevorst crafted birds to sit on the shoulder of a sheared and layered pure white dress, layered over blue denim jeans, before trailing into a white net tail not dissimilar to the tails of the birds that sit upon the shoulder. The grey and white bird print was seen on billowing dresses and a camisole-style top that drifts back to skim the ankles, while white birds were embroidered on black cowboy boots. With A.F. Vandevorst we were free to take flight.
