The Low Country
The capsule collection that follows “Carnival" based off the fabulous celebratory costumes of my Fathers home island of Galicia Spain is called "The Low Country". This collection will take a deep dive into the historical pieces that draped the people of the Netherlands for many years.
My grandfather on my mothers side is from a small village outside of Amsterdam called Broek in Waterland in which there are canals of water going through the town and a larger canal that you can take into Amsterdam. When I visited my family there I could sense a different type fo living in which I am very much longing for at this time in my life. A lifestyle that embraces time for rest, enjoying the beauty of your surrounding and loved ones, eating food directly from the animals and earth harvested in surrounding areas. To translate this into a fashion line, I wanted to explore the magic and folklore tales that originated in Holland.
The bedtime story that came up the most in my search was the story of the Sandman. The concept of a sentient being bringing you dreams.
I want this collection to reflect the provinces in which my mothers background is, as well as make it much like a dream state with a color pallet ranging is deep blues, whites, teal, purples, black, silver and greens. This color pallet is much cooler than I am used to working with but I think it is appropriate to accurately paint the mood of this spring/ summer collection.
The Fabric choices will be lightweight layered chiffons to give a flowy texture to the runway. A technique used in some of the evening gowns is flatlining a cotton print with a luxury lace to give a unique fabric aesthetic. This collection will also be the first time I attempt to make a few swimsuits ( with coordinating chiffon robes obviously). Another unique aspect of this collection is the use of the "coif".
A coif is a medieval headpiece in which they wore different variants in historical Netherland attire. I want to deconstruct the idea of the coif being a thing of the past or a garment for a new born baby. The coif made from reworked materials can become a high fashion look if paired and styled appropriately.
This collection is built off of the memory of my mother. That includes the multidimensional aspects of who she was, and our relationship. Her sadness, her beauty, her pain, her love for the fashion world, and my admiration for the magic that she brought to the world and the people around her. Grief is an odd thing, but it has the power to bring out something you might not have expected in yourself. I see her in the lights of the runway and in my dreams every night.
