un moment avec Lee
Paris, France
Three Dimensional textures of vegetal surfaces and flowering designs created a story of Metamorphoses for Basil Soda this Fall Winter 2012/13 collection. The center of the body was a line of focus for Soda this season, whether as a mirror line for symmetrical designs or as a point of overlap for drapery leaving a high slit on its way to attach at the opposite shoulder. This brings up the issue of the legs, a focal point of the silhouette, drawing the eye to the core of the body. Thanks to this season’s collective subconscious, we saw a lot of champagne tones and shades of white. Not totally abandoning this rich range of neutrals, Soda also braved the world of color, going all out with painterly compositions made up of flat sections of hair, layered like fringe in terra cotta, bright red, and shades of pink.
Cut-aways and sheers sections revealed quite a bit of skin, even with a full-length covering. Kind of like we were looking at the models with x-ray glasses that didn’t penetrate certain materials, the legs were especially exposed, although often through veils of gauzy tulle, providing a kind of false modesty. The wedding dress didn’t even leave much to the imagination, the legs visible through the front, but with a dense tulle and lace skirt built up around the sides and back.
Intense detail is a specialty of Basil Soda, obsessively creating special compositions in drapery and pleating that mimic a pattern in beading or embroidery, and vice-versa. Necklines came in all variations, and the mix of fabrics went from fluid to sculptural, sometimes both within one garment, meaning drapery mixed with structured pleating and build out hip extensions broke up slim fitted silhouettes of sheer/opaque paneling. Like a shedding of skins, the dense fell away to reveal the transparent. The result was a dynamic and richly textured collection that will certainly earn Basil Soda deserved recognition.
- Lee Anderson, Parisian Correspondent
Designer website: www.BasilSoda.com
What we’ve said: A/W 2012
