Olivier Theyskens Autumn-Winter 2017 Collection

Darkness flirts with the conceits of the modern bourgeoisie, as Olivier Theyskens presents his collection for Automne Hiver 2017 within the fading grandeur of Le Train Bleu, the mythical restaurant of the Gare de Lyon in Paris. Its gilded architecture both reflects and contrasts the second chapter of Theyskens’ return, for a polarizing dialogue of purity and romance. As a tactile exercise posing memory against modernity, the collection twists centuries of European savoir-faire to create new gestures of surface and silhouette. Historical allusions are subverted and re-scaled with an irreverent hand, as military and lingerie details from brass buttons and hook & eye clasp hardware to lavallière collars converge with technical and couture fabrications.

The foundations of a sophisticated wardrobe emerge for night and day: from a high neckline and defined waist, garments explore a graphic treatment of checked wool, moiré silk, brilliant polished leather and 100% silk lace. Structured trench coats, riding jackets and plaid cashmere knits form a masculine counterpoint to the preciousness of tucked, twisted-hem shift dresses, layered ball skirts and encrusted lace gowns. Shades of snooker green, lime, petrol blue and marigold swell amongst Belgian earth-coloured wool, dull metallic ‘giro inglese’ mesh and a black panther jacquard. The dense opulence of felt cashmere, calfhair and velvet meets the drape of bias-cut charmeuse silks, flouncing layered organza, and the brutal reflection of aluminium silk faille. Calf and ankle boots feature a pointed toe and giant hook & eye clasp details - they come finished in two-tone suede, lizard, plaid wool, and patent leather.

See the full collection at http://oliviertheyskens.com.