17xAnn
It's not only photographers that are accorded the key exhibition spaces of the Villa. The largest 'gallery' (in fact a converted swimming pool) is often given to a fashion designer. The first year SHOWstudio visited Hyères it was Karl Lagerfeld and this year, the presentation is by Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester. Seventeen mannequins are dressed in a complete look from a series of her collections spanning fifteen years. Demeulemeester is certainly famed for her predominantly monochrome clothing, and indeed the presentation is restricted to black to emphasise the importance of detailing -the inclusion of small shells, feathers and opalescent buttons- in her work. In a nice curatorial touch, the dates are scribbled on the glass below in marker pen. Black, naturally.