Shattered Glass

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Since I last wrote about the Danish-born, London-based designer Louise Amstrup properly, her direction has taken a much sharper turn.  Softly printed chiffon and girly voluminous flared-out shapes has given way to control and tension in her S/S 10 collection which was presented at London Fashion Week.  Even looking at her recent collaboration for ASOS, which is a floaty affair (not wishy washy though given there's a bright shot of orange running through it), it's clear Amstrup has tried to push her S/S 10 collection forward.

It all started with shattered glass in the Hall of Mirrors scene in the 1947 film The Lady From Shanghai (check it out above… might have to mute the clunky dialogue).  From the idea of breaking glass, she's recreated all of the vaguely-associated colour palettes of glass, the breaking motion and perhaps some of the distorted lines that you get in broken or 'funny' mirrors in the collection.  Is it weird that I can almost hear breaking glass when I look at the prints?  Not that it looks painful or fraught in anyway just because Amstrup has used reams of silk organza to play with opacity in different ways and of course, a load of sheer pieces equals a big tick in my book.  I also love that Amstrup consistently uses that shape of top/shirt that is cut high in the front and then dips lower at the back… for some reason, I'm always on the lookout for tops with that shape.  Despite the aggressive shapes in the shoulders and the stand-away stiff organza, nestled in the glassy pieces, there is still a pleasing softness that thankfully isn't quite as jagged as the glass that bounces off Rita Hayworth's reflection.

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49 comments

  3. Please don’t get mad when I say this: It looks similar to the McQueen show. I love that though. I like this pallet the best.
    The jumpsuits and the shoes are my favorite.
    JD
    iplayfaves.blogspot.com

  5. Sorry, what I meant was..too much like Alexander Wang meets Mcqueen. Needs more originality and the cut doesn’t look too good nor do the hems. sorry

  6. Love that all the models are wearing Camilla Skovgaard wedges. They just make the outfits a bit better. And I have to disagree with Emily, I think the cuts are amazing, and even though it is very artistic it looks wearable..

  7. That scene from Lady of Shanghai is in my top 10 favorite movie scenes–it’s just so stunning to watch. It’s really intriguing to see how a clip like that is transformed in a designer’s inspiration.

  8. Joy: No, you’re right and it just so happens that Amstrup has trained with McQueen. That said, the prints didn’t impress me as much as the use of organza to make up the different sheer layers and panelling which Amstrup has used in previous collections. But yes, there are touches of McQueen…
    Emily: I would venture to say that not everything is going to be 100% original after a while and whilst yes, there are touches of McQueen and Wang (less so with the latter I feel…) would you then in turn say that Wang is 100% original? Their ideas are also recycled in some way no? Anyhow, I personally like Amstrup’s take on the ‘power-core’ aesthetic, blending it in with her own take on feminine dressing… involving a lot of curvy cuts and plays on opacity.
    As for it being unwearable, I’d disagree as I’d wear 98% of the whole collection?
    With regards to uneven hems, that might be down to the organza which is hard to work with…?

  9. She is becoming one of my favourite designers. Did the perfect interpretation of the breaking glass them

  10. Just had a look at her ASOS collection and i gotta say, her dresses are amazing!
    Same goes for those and the jumpsuits in the pics above.

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