Paris Fashion Week: Aleem Yusuf Fall/Winter Collection – Vibrant, Dazzling, Alluring

Details

Category: Fashion

Published on Saturday, 27 July 2019 20:53

Written by Janet Walker

The Nomade 2019/2020 haute-couture collection showcases the inspirational journey between my native Pakistan and adopted home of Australia seeing beyond the melancholic experiences to the high, lofty visions and conversations that translated into a creative emotional response.

These ideas that were bubbling inside me then flooded out in an exuberant burst of creative expression through pencil on paper. The flow of colours, textures and embellishments fell into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, creating vibrant textural pieces. Ideas buried deep inside had suddenly come to life.

The Nomade colour palate is inspired by two distinct phases: my childhood adventures among the vivid turmeric golds and lush purples of Pakistan’s bazaars, followed by my adult life in Australia and the deep blues of the ocean contrasting with the reds of the desert sands.

Paris Fashion Week: Ziad Nakad Fall/Winter Collection - Ultra-Feminine, Romantic, Elegant

As with all our work, the golden age of couture is referenced throughout ostrich feathers, Swarovski crystals, glass beads, sequins, lace and evocative draping draw the eye to that era surrounding the great couturier Christian Dior.

The women who wear our pieces are women of style, who live with self-expression and individuality without any boundaries: Nomades.

The fabrics indulge the senses: rich silks - satins, crinkle chiffon, dupion, taffeta, organza - along with lurex blends, evoke the senses reminiscent of the gentle ebb and flow of underwater love and the journey of clouds between vast lands. Fabrics from around the world, including the beautiful French lace from Sophie Hallette, complement these dreams of love.  

Paris Fashion Week: Rani Zakhem Couture, Fall/Winter 2018-2019 – Dazzling, Flamboyant, Sensual

Having grown up in the 1980s, cuts and shapes have been inspired by my fond memories of ruffles, gathers, tulle and shoulder pads. These are referenced in the silhouettes and design features in a contemporary mode to enhance the feminine form.

Working with the fabric grain, using bias cut, fabric manipulation and rich draping has created a silhouette juxtaposing design elements that flatter and empower.

HL Paris Fashion Week Coverage: Celia Kritharioti Spring/Summer 2017 Couture Collection – The Flowers of Good

Enhancing the nomades’ pilgrimages to exotic lands, our atelier employs traditional couture techniques of draping, ruching, pleating, gathering, dyeing, moulding, corsetry and hand-stitched finishing. Embroidery and beading revel in a luxurious cacophony of textures embodying Swarovski crystals, ostrich feathers, glass beads and delicate threads.

Nomade required approximately two thousand hours to construct; just a dash in time compared to the pleasures our Nomades will experience with the collection.

Paris Fashion Week: Patuna Spring/Summer Couture Collection -Tempting, Captivating, Seductive

Images courtesy of Aleem Yusuf, Art Direction by Janet Walker.