Female Strength Vs Body Transformations: Rick Owens S/S 16

The master of body metamorphosis Leigh Bowery was notorious for shaping and re-shaping his body via costumes that transformed him into de-humanised abstract forms or monumental figures. Yet one of his scariest tricks was a performance in which he would give birth to his wife Nicola Bateman on stage.

Bateman would usually be hiding under Bowery's dress, strapped upside down to his stomach. At the right moment she would slither out of the harness secured to Bowery's body and come to life smeared in fake blood, and attached to a string of sausages (that Bowery would proceed to eat…). There are quite a few images in books and on the Internet showing not only this performance, but also Bowery carrying a female figure strapped to his body.

Such images must have immediately appeared in the minds of many watching Rick Owens's show yesterday at Paris' Palais de Tokyo.

As Eska, performed the "The Exodus Song (This Land Is Mine)" from the Exodus film, models walked down the runway carrying another woman strapped to their bodies. At times they looked as if they were carrying backpacks, but in other cases the women were strapped upside down on the front in positions that resembled Bateman's contorted body on Bowery's, or looked almost dead with their limbs hanging limply.

The gymnasts and dancers involved in the show actually portrayed the acts of supporting, cradling, nurturing and giving birth. Though it required a lot of strength and proved no mean feat for the athletes involved, the final effect of seeing somebody walking around and carrying what looked like a body abandoned to itself in an almost lifeless condition, was in some cases upsetting rather than uplifting.

Bearing the same name of the S/S 16 menswear collection – "Cyclops" – this collection was inspired by the mythological one-eyed creature, interpreted by Owens in a female key and therefore represented as a figure focused on nourishment, sisterhood, motherhood, and regeneration.

The collection featured trademark Rick Owens pieces, including crinkled and crumpled anoraks and newer versions of his sculpturally angular jackets, black vests, sleeveless dusters and short dresses that combined raw canvas and leather.

The fabrics employed were robust and rigid – an ode to strength – but juxtaposed to silk organza for volumes and folds. Transparent and metallic leather added new dimensions to the looks and much needed architectural variation.

Designs incorporating crumpled metallic leather in burnt orange shades called to mind the bent and crushed metal of artworks à la John Chamberlain (there seems to be a Chamberlain trend for next season…).

There were also hints at tribes in the languid and draped tunic-like tops and dresses, but even these designs were part of the main theme, as the designer attempted to tackle female strength (also referenced in the soundtrack lyrics: "With the help of God I know I can be strong"), a key characteristic of female warriors interested in protecting and nurturing a tribe (obviously one living in Owens' futurist, dystopian and apocalyptic fantasyland…).

Most looks were matched with flat boots and gladiator sandals with a thick angular rubber sole, while the carried women often donned heel-less gladiator sandals.

Fashion is about morphing and transforming one's figure and claims to be about empowering women, so the concept behind the collection went well with the main aims and objectives of the industry. That said, at times, the final effect was pretty uncanny with additional limbs erupting from the bodies in a disquieting human centipede situation.

So, after scandalising the media with the infamous phallus-gate incident (View this photo) during the S/S 16 menswear shows, Owens' is back to refocus on women's bodies. Yet his ode to female strength at times ended up looking more like an updated version of Leigh Bowery's performance than about praising strong female characters (such as the protagonists of Euripides' "The Trojan Women" that he had apparently in mind) and didn't certainly add anything terrifically new to his vocabulary.