The catwalks were filled with leather and layered looks for spring, a trend usually reserved for fall/winter. Capitalizing on this trend, Filip Arckx and An Vandevorst showed us a glimpse of a new more polished aesthetic with garments that fused both rock ’n’ roll and baroque elements.
A model wearing a sleek, black. multi-belted trench coat with a wide leather funnel neck collar opened the show sporting dramatic elbow-length leather gloves and a sheer black fedora. The multi-buckled belts, a design element used throughout the show were used to cinch asymmetrical dresses and tops and pants fashioned out of gilded brocade. Every look was accessorized by gold wedge sandals, crystal embellished knit gloves, and Stephen Jones sheer organza fedoras in either black or white which covered half of the models face creating a sense of mystery. Only in stages did the models shed their many layers and their dark colors, and by the end of the show were wearing summer whites, including the crisp shirts that have long been a trademark of A.F. Vandevorst.
As if the mystery was not enough, the duo sent out models fully or partially painted in gold leaf body paint wearing gilded brocade and embellished fringe scarves. Among the many surprises was that of a model wearing white bootcut pants and a gold painted rectangle on bare breasts topped with a white transparent fedora.
A.F. Vandevorst’s Spring 2013 collection was highly influenced by menswear, including oversized blazers worn as dresses, and suits with exaggerated tails which brought the collection together creating a new vocabulary.
