statuesque

I love maximalism - various fabrics and multiple patterns combined into one garment, rich embellishments, and sumptuous textures. A tactile and visual explosion. It’s something that I’m trying to implement more and more, a constant expansion of my vision.
But sometimes, it is a good idea to pare everything down. To peel back the layers, strip the core bare. To create a single focal point with no distraction: A simple dress, with a lean silhouette in a uni-coloured fabric (velvet, but still). Something that makes an impact with its simplicity.
The original reason why I went down that particular route was my sister’s prom - she wanted me to make a dress for her. And of course, I obliged.

My sister wanted something that was loose, yet structured, that accentuated her body but did not restrict her in any way. It was quite a challenge to get the desired look - the dress should not be tight at the waist, but still have some shape and not just hang loose underneath the bust. With such a simple look, it is crucial to get the fit right. The garment needs to be balanced and hang correctly, there is no hiding behind a busy print or some cleverly placed embroidery.

It was really nice to take a simpler, cleaner approach and to really focus on the cut of a garment. I tend to improvise a lot and make up the process as I go along, but this dress had to be thoroughly planned and precisely executed.

Thanks to the wonderful Helena Zaida - Who looks like an absolute goddess in this dress and had the original idea for something ‘simple, in red velvet’; and Lukas Jahn (@rawkoon.pictures) for capturing her with these amazing photographs. The results from such an impromptu shoot never looked better.

All images © Lukas Jahn