un moment avec Lee
Paris, France
Black and white, yin and yang, inside and out, but overall: balance. Two Monastic figures made their way out side by side. Setting the tone of duality that would come out in several ways throughout Yiqing Yin’s Summer 2012 Haute Couture show. There was a definite natural wildness to the collection, evoking water, storms, and minerals through color and shape. Wide, draped shapes contrasted tight pleats and gathering. In silk jersey, organza, and fur Yin built silhouettes out from the body and also cut away shapes against the body. No matter the material, under her hand fur becomes as supple as silk.
Working with pleating in different scales and to different ends, she shaped softly folded necklines in a jacket and coat, and makes patterns, both swirling and symmetrical, with tiny pleats and laser cut strips in dresses that follow the shape of the body. With an eye for asymmetrical lines, one long cut out dress combined knots, twisting, and tucking like vines that grow and twist together. Beaded stands hang down in an intricate pattern over the glimmering blue of a dress with open back, and open slits over the hips. Yin’s balance between positive and negative space shoes a true understanding of the body, like an architect knowing which walls can be removed while remaining structurally sound.
A fur vest, shaved down irregularly, showed off the natural coloring and the behavior of the fur trimmed at different lengths. A show stopping fur parka, tucked and pleated, created beautiful shape, almost like an engineered graphic, just by changing the direction the light hit the fur. Imaginative and structurally striking, a face molded into a bodice like an image appearing in the clouds was a great moment. Only to climax with the finale, a fur and lace creation that looked as if it could have grown into the body like moss. Yin is as much a poet as she is a designer. Sensitive to the environment and the unbreakable relationship between the body and the elements, her clothing blends the two together. Still early in her career, only good things can be expected to come.
- Lee Anderson, Parisian Correspondent
Designer website: www.YiqingYin.com
