VAN GOGH GIRLS: VIKTOR & ROLF HAUTE COUTURE SS2015

Viktor & Rolf Look 18, Model: Yumi Lambert [photo credit here]

Alexander Mcqueen set a standard for couture clothiers in the last decade; since his passing, my interest in fashion shows has waned considerably. Fortunately, this winter, the emergence (and re-emergence) of select European designers (think Mary Katrantzou, Jean Paul Gaultier, etc.) brightens the onset of the respective global Fashion Weeks with carefully considered and expertly executed couture collections. In particular, Dutch designer duo Viktor and Rolf awes audiences in Paris with their Post-Impressionist art-inspired attire. Entitled Van Gogh Girls,the 21-piece episode revives my curiosity towards couture and renews my respect for the brand. Keep reading to see V&R's SS2015 lineup...

Look 6, Model: Melina Gesto [photo credit here]

For Spring/Summer 2015, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh's Wheat Field series forms the foundation of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren's inspired looks. Van Gogh's palette of contrasting colors is appositely amplified and delicately delivered through a bouquet of babydoll silhouettes, down the runway of the Palais de Tokyo during Paris Fashion Week. Using Real Dutch wax cloth by Vlisco, Viktor and Rolf's voluminous 2D-meets-3D futuristic floral assemblage is paired with magnificent millinery and fuses the "organic unity" between field and flowers.

Look 10, Model: Odette Pavlova; Look 17, Model: Ophelie Guillermand; Look 15, Model: Alicia Tubilewicz [source: Viktor & Rolf]

For this collection, a singular repeatable flower is rotated,colored and lifted off the fabric with bona fide brilliance. Van Gogh's connection to nature, emotion-soaked color schemes and internal angst shines through in V&R's bold designs. While the wearability of ready-to-wear differs from the the crafted caliber of custom couture, these truly extraordinary pieces are--to a degree--genuinely wearable. The matching semi-platform flip flops finish off the looks with an elegant closure, one that Van Gogh may have appreciated as opportunistically representative of the peasant farmer with whom he identified. In total, AMAZING. 

Viktor and Rolf full runway show [source: Viktor and Rolf]

Look 12 (of 21), Model: Emma Oak [source: Viktor & Rolf]

Look 16, Model: Diana Moldovan; Look 1, Model: Sanne Vloet; Look 19, Model Smith Vanders [source: Viktor & Rolf]