For her fall collection, Belgian designer Julie Kegels delivered a meditation on how we attempt to control our image in this hyper-visible age. Staged against discordant violin plucks, models walked slowly and deliberately, forcing attention onto the construction of the clothes — a rarity in an era obsessed with generating social-media moments.
Titled “Face Value,” the collection drew on Andy Warhol’s notion of “aura,” as well as the blurred and bright long-exposure portraits of Korean artist Kyungwoo Chun, work itself inspired by existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger. The result was a reflection on shadow versus authenticity.
All that is to say that it was a cerebral approach to an intriguingly wearable collection.
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Capes streamed from shoulders only to attach discreetly at the ankles behind the shoes, creating a billowing, ghostly line. Jackets slipped off of shoulders but were reimagined as dresses, while pajama tops were inflated to gown proportions. A white button-down became a cape, and a skirt appeared to fall undone at the waist, only to swoop theatrically into a side drape.
To create the shapes, Kegels photographed garments in her Antwerp atelier — lit to create shadow — then worked with those distorted patterns to create new forms.
Elsewhere, Kegels worked with what she called “forced tailoring” to move the body into a more assertive stance, such as sleeves cut to push the arms forward with almost military precision. Shrunken pullovers were sliced open at the back of the shoulders, fabric popping out like small, colorful wings.
“The aura is a shield,” she said backstage after the show. “We always have an appearance, but maybe the appearance is not true to what there is inside. The Julie Kegels woman will always want to control something, but it is always imperfect.”
Exposed seams highlighted the idea of contrast, while other pieces had unfinished edges. When Kegels realized what were meant to be jarring, jagged little hats actually recalled the cute headgear of the cartoon bird Calimero, the irony became an inspiration to add more childlike references, such as cozy baby blankets that doubled as wrap skirts.
Like Warhol said, our “aura” may disappear as soon as we open our mouths, but in Kegels’ adept hands, the right outfit can hold up that image a little longer.