Vera Wang is the mythical Persephone of Fashion. In Mythology, Persephone was the Goddess of the Underworld and the bringer-maiden of Spring & Summer. She was abducted from the earth by Hades, God of the Underworld, and forced every year to leave the lush green earth and spend 3 months underground, which in essence started Fall and progressed to Winter. Vera Wang’s otherworldly designs and opposition of aesthetics in her different collections is truly a balance of light (Spring/Summer) and dark (Fall/Winter). For metaphorical purposes, Vera Wang’s Bridal/Evening wear, displays the Spring/Summer side of her as a Designer: beautiful, flowery, feminine, full of light, diaphanous, flowerlike-blooming dresses. Her Ready To Wear collections show her metaphorical “Fall/Winter” side, the dark underworld of Fashion. We see her descend into her darker, more structured, severe, and the edgy side of her creations. I don’t think anybody would look at her Ready to Wear Collections and think of her Bridal Gowns! And, here in lies her genius, a Designer who is truly balanced, and we can see testament to why she is a perennial favorite- literally and metaphorically.
I love to see the “Fall/Winter” side of Vera Wang and her designs. I always look forward to her Ready-To-Wear collections. And in this Fall 2019 RTW collection, Scotland, reigns supreme. It’s almost as if we are taken centuries back into Scotland and then placed in the streets of Punk London at the same time. Perhaps she is as taken with Scotland, as Claire is in Outlander. In this collection, the towering silhouettes are sleek, elongated, and draped to perfection. The collection’s elongated designs, especially notable in the pieces’ arms and legs, created angular lines of visual interest.
Vera Wang has used the tartan to create volume and manipulated it into shapes. After all, tartan wool, is a very heavy, dense fabric, and lends itself to be molded, layered, and draped, as it has been done for centuries. Using Tartan makes sense since Vera Wang’s draping and eye-catching dimensional drama are always impeccable. The juxtaposition of fabrics and textures: the light weight wool gabardine, lace, tartan, sequins, sweater knits, and corded rope details, all play off and play with, one another.
The pants with the Kilt pleated panel front, a modern-day pant version of the Skort, billows as much as it appears severe. In reinterpreting the classic Kilt and its normal layers of dense pleats, Vera Wang has given us a skirt with very beautiful open panels of pleating which is dramatic and sexy, while echoing classic menswear all at once.
The Celtic Stain glass pattern added a vibrant pop of color and gives us a remnant of a history from whence this inspiration and collection came. Vera Wang’s Fall RTW collection has a High-lander-ing place in Fashion Week.
Images Courtesy of Vera Wang
