Glasses of
chilled, bubbly water welcomed fashion lovers in the front courtyard of an
ambassadorial residence in Paris Monday, as Dutch designer Ilya got ready to
present her couture show.
When spectators entered a stunning hall of parquet floors and taspestry-covered walls, they were greeted by long-stemmed white roses on each seat, giving
everyone a “voorgerecht” - a little taste of what was to come.
Coolness and
class were thus the promised flavours, and the show followed through on those
first hints.
Ilya’s
Fall-Winter 2014-2015 couture collection relied on a refined black-and-white
color scheme, with salient splashes of corals and blues. Simple cuts and
understated shades contrasted with intricate sculptural and geometric shapes.
Although most
of the pieces highlighted femininity, suit-type ensembles did not look out of
place, as they integrated some fashionable twists such as plunging v-necks and
transparent fabric.
Outfits made
from luminous material also bedazzled the eye, despite the overall discreet
element of the show. This was an
altogether very wearable couture collection, evocative of Ilya’s journey to her
current position as a designer who eschews needless flamboyance.
Born Ilja
Visser, she started her career in fashion design at ArtEZ School of arts in
Arnhem, the Netherlands. She went on to intern with Donna Karan (founder of
DKNY), and Maria Cornejo, whose clientele includes American first-lady Michelle
Obama and Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, queen of the ice-cool look.
Ilya founded
her own company in 2005 and was the first designer to receive the prestigious
cultuur mode stipendium award from the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation in
2011.
The current collection suggests she might be in for several more prizes. - J.M. De Clercq
