The Power of the Coat

With a bit of back ground on the dissertation, it is then from this dissertation that a collection must be born......
There was one image that inspired it all....

Winter Collection 1940. Designer Robert Piguet.

Although still in the design process my 12 look collection titled "Atelier de 1939" (studio of 1939) is a winter collection heavily based on the idea and symbolism of the coat, its strength, durability and thickness, reformed and restructured.

Torn between the pain of war and the love for ones country saw the 1940’s Parisian woman in a struggle to survive during the second world war. Women in mourning, with their large coats and army boots, assisted the armies in defending their country, living off food and clothing coupons, some of many sacrifices made. Paranoia and anxiety filled the dark and sombre air as women prepared for war, whilst the excess of high society adorned in rich textiles, attended the extravagant fashion shows fulfilling their duty of elegance.

The signature army coat that defined and protected from the harsh surroundings will be deconstructed and reformed. A focus on classic couture pieces, collectibles and heirlooms cherished due to the shortages, with large coats embellished and adorned as masterpieces. Protection meets presentation and identity.

With a simplistic military aesthetic this collection explores the relationship and distinction between the classes of Parisians and celebrates the fashion worn by both, featuring the rationed blanket coats of the lower class combined with the embellished couture of the upper class. Tailored, sharp lines, play on volume and shape, a dark and heavy collection, a hint of bright shades and accents that pop; desire and reality are in conflict.