"Truth does not reside in one dream alone but in many dreams", says Princess Dunya to Prince Tagi in Pier Paolo Pasolini's Il fiore delle mille e una notte (Arabian Nights, 1974).
In a way a catwalk show is similar to a dream or to many dreams, especially when it can stir different emotions or be so magical to transport its audience to another dimension.
While showcasing their Autumn/Winter 2010-11 collection, Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff took their audience to an imagined Orient, filtered through folk traditions and contemporary inspirations.
The design duo went for a completely different approach compared to their previous catwalk shows: their Autumn/Winter 2009 collection was inspired by luxury and desire and drenched in their favourite noir films, while for the Spring/Summer 2010 season, they deconstructed more classically tailored pieces reinterpreting them and analysing androgynous themes and connections.
It was therefore rather unusual to see walking on the duo's runway covered in carpets models clad in mysterious long black or brightly coloured tulle veils hemmed in lace with paper crowns by milliner Nasir Mazhar worn on top of their heads.
Painted biker jackets were layered on white or floral chiffon gowns; knitwear was decorated with sequinned appliquéd motifs; frayed hems and old lace gave an impression of worn out look while glittery bangles decorated with pompoms and sparkling faux gems replicated the colours of emeralds, rubies, amethysts and topazes.
Apparently the inspiration came from a documentary, but there were moments in which the layered, bright and over-embellished outfits looked like a urban reinterpretation of Danilo Donati's costumes for Pasolini's Arabian Nights.
As a whole the collection didn't really follow any of the current trends, but Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff are well-known for going their own ways and it was good to see them toning down their "biker" inspirations and going for an imaginatively dreamy "Marchesa Casati goes on a trip to the Byzantine Empire" approach.
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