An air of Miami wafted over the spring-summer collection by Kris Van Assche. There's the idea of a tuxedo on the beach where the trousers have turned into shorts, where a jacket has lost its sleeves, where the tailored elegance is imbued with oceanfront nonchalance. The effect is laid-back and natural. Satin bands drawn from formalwear find a new context as they appear in unexpected ways throughout the collection. The looks follow on in succession like pieces in a game of dominos, each drawing on an element of the one that came before - a colour, an insert, a length. The palette is extensive since prune, Prussian blue and slate grey, to be found as a solid or a patchwork, outlining a structure here, creating a graphic effect elsewhere; have been added to the usual all black palette. They're like blocks of colour that change position on the body, from one look to the next. Effects and reflections multiply these aspects and heighten the colorama.
One is also reminded of the abstract nature of a Mondrian or a Malevitch in the way the piecing serves to sketch out a new kind of geometry, and the image in turn alludes to another aspect of Miami, namely the contemporary art fair, Art Basel Miami Beach.
Art direction by M/M Paris
Styling by Mauricio Nardi
Hair by Franco Gobbi
Make up by Hélène Vasnier
Models: Florian Luger & Tim Schuhmacher
