We're barely getting into the nitty gritty of Paris Fashion Week and already the bar has been raised quite a few notches. I don't mean this to be disparaging to the other fashion weeks. Pushing the limits of artistry and craftsmanship does not translate to a stupendous collection. A visual treat, yes. A collection workable on all levels? Not necessarily. Take Lie Sang Bong's SS08 collection entitled 'New Romancer'. These images will instantly blow most people away in terms of fabric manipulation, technique, craftsmanship and colour composure. There's no denying the sheer amount of painstaking work that has gone into all of this. It's actually pure joy just devouring the images and taking in all the detailing. In a foody term of a visual feast, it's like a 15 course banquet cooked by Thomas Keller at the French Laundry.
However, the questions like 'But what does this all mean for the wearer?' arise, most people would then take another look at the collection and rethink it. Lie Sang Bong says it's for an 'individual woman with a high degree of sensibility for the avant garde.' I would argue that though those women are fewer in numbers these days when faced with fast fashion, that those that have the foresight to see wearability in these clothes do still exist. There is also nothing wrong with Lie Sang Bong taking an influence and pushing it to the ultimate limits it can go. In this case, he has used the Bauhaus movement and ran away with it completely. This isn't a criticism to him. I wish more would people run away and go doolally with a singular idea. Specifically, he's explored Oskar Scchlemmer's famous 'Triadisches Ballett' where the dancers merge with gemetric shapes which was featured a little at the V&A Modernism exhibition. I love how fluidity and warmth has been injected into Schlemmer's mechanic visions...
