A recent trip to Vietnam left such a strong impression on Chinese designer Shuting Qiu that she wanted to translate it into her new fall collection. In fact, for this season, Qiu took inspiration not only from the atmospheres and colors of that enchanting country, but also from Vietnamese artist Lê Phổ, a master of oil painting, mostly known for portraying landscapes of his homeland with a nod to French Impressionism. The grace of those art pieces guided Qiu through an exploration of Asian and Western cultures, something she usually does as a signature of her creative approach.
Vietnam was there in the more natural color palette—clearly influenced by the delicate hues present in Pho’s paintings—and the rich embroideries, made of sequins and beads, used to decorate garments with multicolored flowers, recalling traditional Vietnamese attire. Many sophisticated tweed separates were adorned with blooming appliqués, often creating a chromatic clash or playing with ton sur ton choices. Moreover, flowers got a tridimensional treatment for see-through cardigans and slip dresses on which they were proposed as tulle manipulations. Among the most interesting pieces of this collection were the argyle intarsia dresses that combined cold and warm tones of the recurring flowers; they also echoed geometric patterns that characterize the historical Vietnamese wardrobe.
Outwear played a central role: on one hand with padded brocade jackets—a fusion between a blazer and a duvet—and on the other with sumptuous inserts of long faux-fur on coats, blousons, and bombers. A last glamorous touch came via full sequined long gowns that represented the perfect combination between history and modernity, a distinctive trait of Qiu’s aesthetic. The silhouettes paid specific homage to the traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai dress.
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