For designers, inspiration can appear in anything and everything. There is no one true formula, just the hope and desire to envision something much more grandiose in something so simple. For Bora Aksu, it was painted pictures on the front of four postcards depicting femininity in woman’s fashion during the Edwardian era that jumpstarted the journey to conceptualizing his next collection. These postcards, filled with love letters, would eventually tell the enigmatic story of two French lovers, Rose and Charles, in the early 1900s, in which the fate of their love remains a mystery to this day.
The orchestral melody heard overhead prompting the start of the show was just the first of many dramatic representations of Aksu’s creativity and inspiration seen during his Spring/Summer 2012 runway show. For the next few minutes, the runway would become a storyboard narrating the tale and subsequently the unknown outcome of Rose and Charles’ relationship -the colors of the collection personifying the emotions, the design techniques characterizing the Edwardian influence and the sweeping silhouettes symbolizing the delicate handwriting of his muse, Rose. Portraying the varying depths of love and heartbreak, the collection ranged from romantic details like delicate lace, silky georgette blouses and seductive corsetry to more theatrical insinuations such as heaving pleating, dramatic draping and dark make-up. Aksu promised this season would focus on separates and while he certainly delivered, it was his remarkable craftsmanship and attention to detail that stunned the audience – the intricately designed maxi skirts, the impressively tailored trousers and the cleverly plaited chiffon dresses. He decidedly mixed soft pastels and neutrals with vivid, cheerful colors like fuchsia and turquoise, and later, with gloomier hues like black and midnight blues, once again depicting the unanswered question of Rose and Charles’ love- was it romantic, sacrificial or unrequited. Although that question will never be fulfilled, Aksu’s collection, themed as “The Unknown” would satisfy the audience’s desire to see more of his future interpretations.
