Last year Florida-born but London-based Corrie Nielson won the Fashion Fringe competition.
A graduate of Central St Martins, Nielsen charmed John Galliano, honorary chair of the event, with her collection entitled “Georgian Satires”, inspired by the 18th Century illustrator James Gillray and British caricaturist George Cruickshank.
For the Autumn/Winter 2011 season, Nielsen moved from traditional men's tailoring, the Elizabethan period, English and Spanish paintings from the Renaissance, portraits by the Flemish masters (think for example about the silhouettes and cartwheel ruffs in Cornelis de Vos' portraits, View this photo to get an idea) and French Haute Couture from the '40s-'50s, and filtered these inspirations through her passion for caricatures and drama.
The final result of such different inspirations may have been a tragic hybrid, but Nielsen mastered her starting points well, coming up with costumy pieces with an emphasis on exaggerated and voluminous elements with a deconstructivist edge.
Based on a dark palette comprising black and grey with some splashes of blue, emerald and purple, the collection included garments with stiff high collars and pleated ruffs extending around the neck; structured shoulders; full curving sleeves; decorative knots and draped motifs and more extravagant pieces such as silk taffeta blouses and grand capes with voluminous silhouettes.
The collection revealed that Galliano was right in his judgement and that Nielsen - who spent six years at Vivienne Westwood working on the Gold Label - may reveal herself as one of the gems of the exuberant London fashion scene.
She is indeed one of the few contemporary designers able to inject a much needed dose of drama into our boring every day lives through wearable yet striking ready-to-wear pieces.
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I'd like to extend my warmest Congratulations to Corrie Nielson who won the Fashion Fringe competition. More power to you and I hope you'll continue inspiring more people.
Posted by: ivory suits | May 07, 2011 at 11:50 AM