Paris Womenswear S/S 10

Bruno Pieters

Posted 1st October 2009 00:00 BY Laura Bradley

This season, Bruno Pieters cited the work of the late Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi as his key inspiration; a sculptor and landscape artist known for bringing a sculptural sensibility to everything he created. Pieters' show notes also revealed he had in mind two very separate traditional haute couture ateliers -flou (meaning 'flowing' and 'loose fitting', where dresses are cut) and tailleur (where tailored pieces are made)- and had attempted to morph the two crafts. Opening with a series of super-short, skintight, skin-coloured dresses, the 'flou' was almost non-existent, albeit for the draped, ruched details on the designs that sat close to the body or hugging shoulders. More fluid shapes came later with high-waisted trousers, coats, jumpsuits and flowing headpieces. Colour was simple (nude, to white, to black), embellishment only appearing on two heavy beaded crystal dresses towards the end. Transparency was a big story, as it has been for many other designers. Here, the girls' bare breasts and high-waisted knickers on show, hands seen inside pockets and every seam made explicit. Even the hairclips and footwear came fashioned in clear Perspex. Despite this being a key theme for the upcoming Spring/Summer season, the overriding nudity seemed a little irrelevant. Whilst there where some appealing separates, as a whole, out of the thirty-one looks there were very few pieces suitable for the retail environment. Pieters' triumph came halfway through with the introduction of tailoring. The Belgian designer has become well known for his precise tailoring and here he referenced Nogochi's geometric shapes, adding sharp graphic lines to shoulders, a structured waistcoat with cutout collars and stiff, high-waisted shorts.

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