Pauline Dujancourt’s lovely sheer lace pressed to skin, trails of ghostly tulle and organza, and diaphanous knits were a tender tribute to a close friend who had recently died.
“At first, I wasn’t sure how I would get through designing this collection,” Dujancourt said. “I felt emotionally overwhelmed and unable to take a step back to process what was happening.”
A former theater student, the designer said she found comfort in “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov. She resonated in particular with Nina’s character, whom she once played on stage.
“I recognized myself in her monologue at the end of the play, where she says, ‘As long as she has faith in her calling, her passion, then life does not hurt so much anymore,’” she said.
You May Also Like
Dujancourt immersed herself in what she knows best — knitwear — to create her most beautifully intricate clothing to date.
The voluminous bell skirts with crocheted embellishments were made without boning or corsetry. Instead, they were fashioned out of strips of mesh that she painstakingly wove together. Tops featured “feathers” made from hand-knitted mohair that was pinned and sewn together until it resembled birds mid-flight.
The level of workmanship bordered on couture, and every piece looked ethereal. As the clothing moved down the runway, it captured the weight of grief — and what it might feel like to release it.