From the art deco haven of Claridges, Roksanda Ilincic’s (Instagram) eponymous Autumn Winter 2023 ensemble unravels as an intimate ode to art, design, and camaraderie. Embracing the continuum of intimacy and heightened sentiments, this collection from ROKSANDA paints a vivid canvas reflecting the valor of charting one’s unique trajectory and the audacity to actualize it. From these paradoxes, an intricate web of connections is woven, fostering an introspective dialogue with oneself and the extended community. Echoing this sentiment, the verses of visionary artist and wordsmith Arch Hades’ Arcadia gracefully intertwine with the designs.
Atsuko Tanaka, the luminary Japanese visual maestro, is a source of inspiration. An emblematic figure of the post-war Gutai art movement, Tanaka’s journey, encompassing both embrace and exclusion from the movement, resonates with the collection’s core. The amalgamation of vulnerability and resilience finds its mirror in the vivacious exuberance, striking radiance, and graceful translucence of the pieces, exalting the tender connection of humanity’s touch amidst the digital world’s hum.
Elevating the brand’s illustrious artistic heritage, abstract expressionism transforms into opulent silks turned into artistic canvases, bearing the alchemy of explorative print techniques that cast illusions of layered silhouettes. Multi-hued palettes conspire, birthing an illusionary trompe-l’oeil dance. The intrigue extends, as fil-coupé fabric gracefully melds with delicate silk organza, as if gravity itself is surrendering to an artistic fervor, leaving traces of its dissolution on the gown’s ethereal contours. Elsewhere, resolute femininity finds refuge in recycled crushed taffeta, glinting like molten gold and silver, embraced by avant-garde architectural frameworks that foster serendipitous negative spaces.
A recurring thematic of sheltering, audacious femininity, and sanctuary resonates, like a nurturing cocoon enveloping the feminine form. Sublime silks flutter beneath sweeping woolen mantles, forging a harmonious fusion. A symphony of volume unfurls, emboldened by artistic inclinations, translating into circular forms that echo throughout the collection. Viewed holistically, they morph into sculptural chromatic orbs that evolve toward geometric abstraction. Echoes of Tanaka’s famed Electric Dress reverberate, inviting a deeper synergy between the craft of the body and the technology of allure.
The backbone of tailoring and outerwear remains unyielding, infusing a potent allure. In this paradigm of empowerment, new architectures come to life, delineated by accentuated waistlines. Panels of fabric cascade, entwining around the torso to birth novel silhouettes, shattering the constraints of gender conformity. Original hand-etched patterns, vibrant in crimson and gold, etch their narratives through needle punching, Agugliatura’s artisanal elements enhancing fine wool coats and overlays, where surface and fabric dissolve into one.
In this evocative ensemble, new life is breathed into accessories. Soft nappa leather in the brand’s iconic hues undergoes a metamorphosis, revitalized and reimagined with foam elements that cascade around necklines, morphing into captivating straps that commune with timeless Manolo Blahnik masterpieces.
ROKSANDA’s Autumn Winter 2023 collection is an experiential realm where sentiment and design, technology and allure, converge in a tapestry of contemporary design.
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