Wedensday, September 7th, 2011
Asia Society
Upon arriving at the Mimi Plange presentation held at the culture-filled Asia Society, I was met with cherry blossoms, Namibian influenced Manolos and Rachel Zoe. The latter of course, was being swept around the room by Ms. Mimi Plange herself, giving Zoe breathless commentary about the well-edited selection on display. Once the fracas of bohemia and flashbulbs subsided, I was left to ponder the great fusion of eastern florals with the traditional dress of Namibia that Plange had attempted.
In 19 looks, Plange, inspired by the Victorian dress of the Herero and the traditional dress of the Himba women of Nambibia, offered clean, streamlined silhouettes, with structured accents. Plange created abstract jacquard woven sheaths, contrasted with silk faille, and cinched with pretty bow lambskin belts. Plange’s signature trapunto stitch was used quite often and to a pleasing effect. The sleeves on sheaths and the cuffs and collars of georgette blouses were done with trapunto-embroidery. It gave the garments a more substantial feel, the detail very readily apparent and weighty to look at. Cropped pants in satin gabardine were particularly fetching, also accented with a trapunto-stitched waistband. Peplum details were found on tops, continuing with the strong use of structured accents. Everything was awash in the eastern-themed color palette; coral, pink and eggshell blue being Plange’s main tools in her arsenal.
A surprising delight were the two pairs of Manolo Blahnik for Mimi Plange on display. Collaborating together for the first time, the floral beaded bootie was the standout. The bright beads and color-blocked heels were eye-catching and ornate—almost too pretty to be worn.
However, the collection appeared to be eastern-influenced beyond the floral color palette. The bow belts reminded me of pint-sized obis, and the high-rise collars of traditional eastern dress. It follows that Plange’s inspiration of the Himba and Herero could remain somewhat lost on those not well versed in Namibian dress. (Or maybe just on me. This is very likely.) Even without this bit of confusion, or rather with it, this collection is clearly an accurate reflection of todays increasingly interconnected and globalized society—fused, a bit confused but nonetheless beautiful.
-Raveena Parmar
Designer website: www.MimiPlange.com
Public Relations: K Public Relations
