"Everything that's meant to happen does." - Angela Hayes (American Beauty 1999)
Recently I've taken a fondness to runway fashion again. To be truthful, it has been a while since I've looked at fashion with the same appreciation as film, for example. Perhaps it is because the art of the industry is often atrociously commodified, or on the other extreme- not even digestible for us "common folk" to begin to revel upon. Yet the more time that I spend looking at certain collections, the more admiration I have for fashion designers and those who have passion for the subject. Much like film, I've begun to understand the inner workings of these artists, and I couldn't be more inspired.
Today I wanted to share a few looks from the Viktor & Rolf Fall 2014 Couture collection that reminded me of a certain lascivious character: Angela Hayes.
(Runway photos from Style.com)
The Viktor & Rolf Fall 2014 collection housed twenty-two red carpet looks. The hair and makeup of the models were neutral and tousled, looking quite ripe. Initially, I thought the material of the dresses was some kind of a terrycloth bath towel fabric- later learning that the material was a little more .... grounded.
The collection immediately reminded me of the 1999 film American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes. Although the character Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari) only peppers the film, she serves as Lester's (Kevin Spacey) immediate muse for finding the spark in life again. Lashing out viper ridden insults and puffing on a showy cigarette, Ms. Hayes seems like a typical vapid mean girl, only to be meticulously revealed as an innocent and frail human being that we all are at some point in our lives. Angela Hayes is seductive and full of passion, exuding indescribable potency - much like these outfits. The material of the covered oxfords and dresses from the Viktor & Rolf collection actually is that of glamourous red carpets. The carpet fabric has a certain lustful sheen to it, similar to the velvety sheen of the American Beauty rose petals.
The form of the dresses aren't just simply bathtub/bathrobe chic - they are sculpted works of art. I can even see some of the pleats mimicking petals themselves. And lastly, the richness of the reds that were used was a classic choice and head nod to a such an amorous color. Overall, I thought the collection was a very fresh take on the simplicity of beauty - I'd love to wear the pieces myself.
-Lauren Rose
Curbside Fashion
Its fun to view runway fashions like they are art in museums. I like how you made the comparisons between the movie and the line. :)
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