In the grand hall of couture, where perfection reigns supreme, Viktor & Rolf dared to rebel. Their Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture collection, “Viktor & Rolf Scissorhands,” was a subversive ballet, a punk-rock riff spun on timeless elegance.
For more than three decades, Horsting and Snoeren have mastered the art of contradiction. Their creations combine fairy-tale romance with avant-garde audacity, humor with high art. This show was no exception.
Imagine pristine black tulle gowns, meticulously handcrafted, their bodices laced with nude satin corsets. Now imagine those same gowns deconstructed – slashed, cratered, and stripped bare, revealing layers of vulnerability beneath the polished veneer. This wasn’t about destruction; it was about transformation, a controlled unraveling that pushed the boundaries of beauty.
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Each look unfolded like a seven-movement symphony. The first, a pristine couture masterpiece, set the stage. Subsequent iterations danced in increasing states of rawness, each garment shedding its polished exterior to reveal an unexpected, edgy core. A demure ruffle morphed into a sculptural bolero, a stately coat shed its layers to become a defiant mini, and a frothy tulle confection defied gravity in a mesmerizing deconstruction.
Every rip, every missing layer was the result of meticulous craftsmanship. Horsting described the transformation process – 300 hours of hand-sewing, each layer meticulously integrated into the next, culminating in a controlled disassembly that resembled “comic strip cutting.’’
More than just a fashion show, “Viktor & Rolf Scissorhands” was a meta-commentary on the nature of fashion itself. It embraced the ephemeral cycle of trends, where endings pave the way for new beginnings. It whispered the unspoken desires that lurk beneath our polished exteriors – the yearning for both elegance and rawness, the defiance of convention.
Read more: Stephane Rolland Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024
©Photo: Viktor & Rolf
