Esther Louise Dorhout Mees unleashed her theatrical side in this intriguing, anachronistic collection pairing deconstructed updates on corseted damsel garb with sneakers.
The Dutch designer is known for her bold, artisanal approach to fashion and conceptual fabric treatments (last season her cuts imitated bird-in-flight formations). This time, it was as though lightening bolts had struck the garments, tracing precise, jagged cutouts on a pair of ruby taffeta shorts, for instance.
A massive screen at the end of the runway projected a scene of a forest under a storm, with a flash of lightening projected onto each model as she took her position on the runway. Organic ruffles ran up pants, with cobwebby wisps on floor-sweeping tulle skirts, with a strange color palette mixing powder pink, baby blue and ruby.
The opening costume-y looks eventually gave way to sportier takes on the theme like carrot pants and jumpsuits framed with bold ruffles, capri pants with paperbag waists resembling upturned peplums, oversized bib shirts in stiff organza and taffeta ballgowns downsized into minis.