For sheer spectacle it is pretty hard to top Viktor & Rolf; their collections pair technical innovation with pure eye-candy season after season and spring’s offerings are no exception. With illustrator Piet Paris’ abstract creations serving as a backdrop, models strutted down the runway in a series of theatrical looks that showcased V&R’s talent for cutting as well as their flair for drama. Revisiting a favorite motif, via cuffed detailing on dresses and tops, Horsting and Snoeren explored the allure of the classic tailored shirt. The simple wardrobe staple was fringed, folded, worked and re-worked into ornate tops, breezy dresses and of course intricate pieces of the grand finale. In a season where everyone seems to be cutting back and paring down, it is comforting to know that there are still designers who can be counted on for flights of imaginative fancy. The grandiose gowns featured at the tail end of the collection were nothing short of jaw dropping; the pure white and the piles of folds and layers all adding up to the kind of ensembles you usually have to wait until couture to see.
