LEONARD FW2012/13 @ Heartbreak Hotel Collection

LEONARD FW2012/13 Heartbreak Hotel Collection are based on Leonard's signature look, black jersey dresses with very long sleeves are stamped with paisley patterns, a symbol of the house alongside the orchid. A plant made of crystals embroidered on muslin illuminates the black of a leather jacket embossed with cherry blossoms, while denim pieces coated in Japanese lacquer remind us of the fashion house's heritage.

  

 

 

 Far from fading into the background, each element comes into its own.And so new concepts are formed: the marble and mouldings of the Haussman-style company headquarters embellish a gabardine 'Qipao' dress and jacquard tuxedo trousers shot through with silver thread, with the famous Leonard band on the sides. The collection also features bejewelled cuffs. The pieces are tied together by the use of Asia as a source of inspiration. Highly sculpted "Pagoda" shoulders and a Mao collar lend structure to an Osaka fabric jacket, typical of Leonard.Several details of a Japanese print adorn short dresses. One is covered by a veil of grey trompe l'oeil organza lining, the other, which features leather facings, contrasts with a black coat.

  

  

  

The fabrics chosen give the impression of giant painted frescoes. Jerseys are printed with Japanese-style flowers and birds reminiscent of the veins of marble. Dripping with pearls, a bolero in silver fox fur accentuates the contours of the flowers which travel down the length of a Mao collared blouse and skirt. Asian imagery appears everywhere - the belt of a geisha dress, the drape of an imperial robe, a stark and edgy take on a Coptic motif. The leathers have a metallic shimmer, a band based on the mouldings breaks up the black and golden jacquard, the pencil skirts are slit.

 

Unconventional references lend movement to the material.  On cashmere, lilies are edged with beige leather. The moulding band moves along the different angles, revealing an infinite array of facets. A burgundy muslin, which is both transparent and opaque, is striated by gabardine or inlaid with leather.

 

Then, like a musical cycle drawing to a close, the bright colours fade, a sweater marbled in grey and a black jacquard resurfaces.  Between the French elegance of Leonard and the neo-sophistication of Maxime Simoëns, a mermaid dress, scattered with sparkling trees, sinks little by little into the night.