Photos by Herb Ritts in the 90s and a woman bathing under the light of the moon were the two passion points for today’s collection by Anthony Vaccarello. The current winner of the ANDAM (the main award for young designers in France), Vaccarello was thinking of strong, Amazonian women today and it was evident by his dresses which are built for women with thin, athletic, ultra healthy bodies. Still avant-garde, Vaccarello plays with thin streaks of material pulled across sections of revealed skin, held with metal clips and thick elastic. Skirts are so high they give vertigo when worn by leggy models such as Anja Rubik (all the top models called Vaccarello to ask if they could walk his show) and dresses are so tight they’re practically swimwear. The body and feline walk of Missouri model Karlie Kloss was showed off to absolute perfection as she strode down the runway in the closing dress. Vaccarello’s autumn/winter collection has nearly sold out in Colette and this collection for spring/summer 12 will probably do the same as this time he proposed more wearable pieces in the form of jumpsuits, a sheer and pleated bomber jacket and pencil thin bermuda shorts. As the Paris based designer walked the runway surrounded by his models, cheering audience members were up on their feet to get a closer look. Vaccarello is something of the new dauphin of the French fashion world, championed from the beginning by fellow Antwerp alumni Leticia Crahay (Chanel’s accessory designer), this designer’s career is definitely one to watch.
Text and photography: Sarah Hay
