Fashion house VIKTOR & ROLF presented their Spring Summer 2022 Haute Couture Collection, that transform the notion of fear into something positive, on January 26th, during the ongoing Paris Fashion Week. The Surreal Shoulder collection, that uses emotion of fear creatively, was inspired by the old Hollywood Dracula movies and their dramatic effects of light and shadow that create a feeling of suspense. The collection was also inspired by the look from the brand’s 1993 collection, that had an exaggerated, high shoulderline, creating a distorted, elongated silhouette. This season, the brand treats the human figure as if it was stretched to a maximum, glorifying the head and face while protecting the neck.
“Dracula’s tuxedo with cape is one of the most iconic outfits in Hollywood. Taking this look as a starting point, most outfits are stark and monochromatic with a ‘gothic’ feel. For the first time since a couple of seasons, the collection includes an important section of tailoring. Its play with proportions is typical of Viktor&Rolf’s stylistic vocabulary. Furthermore, a wide variety of dresses is shown, ranging from billowy sheaths to sculptural ballgowns. Fabrics are either crisp or gauzy, but always compact to support the architectural shapes. Colours are muted, playing on contrasts of dark and light, with some delicate pastels, chalk white and the occasional pop of cerise red. The only decoration can be found on a trio of floorlength evening dresses in black and white, pale pink and black. Each one is hand embroidered in an artwork of diaphanous, wilting flowers, executed in scraps of delicate fabric, beads and paillettes.” – from Viktor & Rolf
