berlin fashion week: lever couture
okay, so i know i've been continually making noise lately about two things: how much i love brazilian fashion, and how lame it is that hardly any decent reviews have been published about berlin fashion week. now, i'm willing to take that second statement back a bit and say that some shows get respectable coverage, but when it comes to others, we just see a lot of the same photos republished and one or two critics' words summing the collections up--in a way that allows them to really say nothing at all. and if i haven't said it before, it needs saying now: this is a huge disappointment, given how expansive and differentiated those presenting at mbfwb have gotten this season.
the latest to be subjected to such outrage is ukrainian designer lesya verlingieri's label lever couture. we've last seen ms. verlingieri's work the previous--and only (i think)--time lever couture presented at berlin fashion week, for a/w 2011, and for her latest collection, a/w 2012, the designer kept things up in much the same vein, with the interplay of textures that often leaves one yearning to get their hands on something if only to see if it feels the way they imagined and bold, select pops of bright colour. grazia explained that the presentation was held at soho house, and although world's luxury guide expounded on the true couture-like qualities of the line (which, admittedly, is rather refreshing, given how brands like to throw that word around, without seeming to actually know what it refers to, or how their clothes so vastly differ), no one actually deigned to tell us the title, or what the inspiration was.
anyway, in lieu of some of the strong metallic shades that balanced out the black-and-white neutrals of last autumn's collection, the slightly-longer range for this year worked with several shades of gray, and bursts of red, while the scant couple of white pieces (as the ethereal closing dress, at bottom) seemed tinged with a slightly blue-ish tone (although it could well have been the lights). i don't have a complete materials list, but we did see chiffon, tulle, feathers, sequins, lace, beading, and silk, while ms. verlingieri further embellished her pieces with a bevy of details like pleating, rosettes, stunning drapes, asymmetrical cuts, ruffles, straps, and bits of loopy material that looked sort of like re-purposed film.
and unlike a year ago, the designer seems more focused on day than evening or fancy cocktail attire. of course, similar to what we see at most of the traditional couture shows, she did break out into some experimental endeavors (particularly at the end of the presentation), but much of her collection was tied up in simple, fitted sheath dresses that were usually made special thanks to one or two significant details, with hemlines that cut off above or just below the knee. towards the end she broke out the evening dresses, which extended to the floor in a flurry of ball gown-style enthusiastic finery (as the red number second from bottom), or quieter straight-line sweeping pieces that were trimmed with some utterly unique idea and usually required a second, closer look. there were also a few separates, like a slim pencil skirt and blouse, trousers, and a jumpsuit with bold pockets (second from top).
as you can probably imagine (and as with any couture show), the range was not for everyone. i've neglected to link a couple of reviews i read in part because they didn't provide any real information (one did have some nice images, though), but moreover because i thought they were too unfairly critical without reasoning. this can be the detraction to showing at couture week, where many are willing to be a bit more open-minded on the issue. but even fashion freax, which usually has some thoughtful insight, played it prudish, complaining that we saw too many intimate areas (i don't agree). overall, though, i thought it was charming, and with a lot of good, wearable creations. true, some of the evening choices were a little edgy and experimental, but i liked that the designer leaned more towards day, and her asymmetrical frocks (as the one at top) were utterly phenomenal. it's a shame people can't be more willing to give that which they don't immediately mesh with a chance. let's hope it doesn't hurt ms. verlingieri's business any, at least (see additional images at give me burgers).
(see a short collection video here)
