The creative union between Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf and Studio Job is a visual match made in heaven. Their fantastical imaginations and bold visuals first came together for Viktor & Rolf’s S/S 2010 presentation and six months on their A/W 2010 show, titled ‘Glamour Factory’, was a second outing. Studio Job, with Viktor & Rolf, created nuts, bolts and conveyor belt shapes in their signature graphic style, which formed the backdrop for the show – a show that revolved (literally) around industry in every way imaginable.
It opened with Kristen McMenamy dressed in a staggering 23 layers. Impressively, the legendary model didn’t stagger at all under this weight, and once she’d taken her position on a rotating carousel, Viktor & Rolf emerged, dressed in matching black. The designers then took centre stage on the revolving platform alongside McMenamy and systematically undressed her, layer after layer, simultaneously dressing model after model in the clothes they had just removed.
When she was virtually naked they reversed track, taking one garment off each new girl who took to the runway and slowly layered up McMenamy until she could not carry another stitch. Timing was key, the pair worked swiftly and meticulously, choreographed almost like a dance, never pausing or missing a beat.
What was remarkable was not only how each garment slipped over the next (and of course how much McMenamy managed to wear) but how the garments with a pull on a zip or a yank on a drawstring managed to be so multifunctional. Coats became dresses became capes became skirts – it wasn’t just a masterful performance to watch, it was an extraordinary achievement of tailoring.
The weary fashion audience (Paris is the fourth and final destination on the 4-city trail) was captivated. Sitting on the edge of their seats from start to end, they gasped each time another outfit appeared and watched in wonder as McMenamy, almost rotund with the volume of fabric, elegantly strode off the runway, as if clothed in nothing more than a négligé.
