Didit Hediprasetyo, Couture, Automne-Hiver 2012-2013, Paris

By Lily Templeton On juillet 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment · In Fashion Insider

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The cool chiaroscuro of a Protestant temple and a choir of sweet young voices reprising The Band Perry’s « If I die young » set the mood of Didit Hediprasetyo’s fall-winter 2012-2013 collection, as models styled as Lulu-era Louise Brooks took to the runway for the guests who had not been deterred by a couture schedule running increasingly late.

Fittingly, the designer’s musings about passing time became the prism through which his exits could be read. He continued to weave an imaginary landscape of past and present, dressing up a bomber jacket in ruché sleeves and a near-abstract orchid print, while figure defining corsetry gave modern appeal to would-be flapper dresses. His softer looks nodded to Paul Poiret’s freedom of the female form, and acted as refreshing tonics, as did the menswear.

Hediprasetyo took his signature mix of artful splendor further by trimming songket with chinchilla and pairing ostrich with real amethysts embroidered into shimmering material by the Atelier Lesage. But this slew of traditional workmanship and luxurious materials did not manage to steer attention away from the designer’s contemporary discourse of reworked sensible elements.

Instead of upping the ante with the finale, Hediprasetyo chose instead a palate-cleansing Bordeaux silk jersey mini-dress with a train as his final exit. Once again, he strikes an interesting conversation around the future of couture, one that will be worth watching unfold in seasons to come; despite the rich heritage of the past, a trailing echo does far more to jog memory than any loud bang could.