A perfect summer day’s essentials are comprised of a sundress, a pair of flip-flops, and a straw hat. Viktor & Rolf put their imaginative, off-kilter touch on those basics and debuted them on the couture catwalk yesterday. Starting with black and white florals, these baby-doll dresses got more and more intricate, building into wildly colorful creations featuring ruffles, smocking, and ribbon details. Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren even added a surreal touch to the voluminous frocks, with a floral print jumping off the fabric, taking shape as a 3-D floral skeleton on the left side, with blossoms jutting from the frock’s right side. According to the show notes, the designers found inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s buoyant point-of-view of the countryside. The frequent appearance of the color yellow in the clothing was a subtle nod to the painter as well.
The hats in question were fashioned with various sprigs of wheat, some simply encircling the head, while other springs violently jutted out in all directions. However, this wasn’t the first couture show of the week to present straw hats; Chanel beat V&R to the punch. As for those flip flops? They just might be the most basic pieces Viktor & Rolf has ever sent down the catwalk. The looks were anything but basic. Three pieces from the collection have already been purchased by art collector Han Nefkens, to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, for his “Fashion on the Edge” exhibit.
