Ruffled collars and sculptural suits are the main components of the Haute Couture Viktor and Rolf 2022 runway.
At a first glance, the Viktor and Rolf runway show is all about exaggerated shoulders and collars. It feels simplistic, almost as if the collection is incomplete or missing a key component.
The outfits, almost cartoon-like in their silhouette, are primarily striped suits and ties; workwear for men adapted to a gender-bending fashion. The structure of Viktor and Rolf’s runway for Haute Couture, however, is impressive. The suits, jackets, and comically small ties look disproportionate, the model’s heads often appearing small in comparison to this unusual tailoring.
We see a crop-top frac, purple suits, leather trench coats, and stripes, all complimenting a collection of extravagant sculptural quality.
Then, mid-show, the designers offer a spectacle where they undress one of the models, activating a series of mechanisms in the garments that push and pull the outfit into a flamboyant ruffle.
The performance, interesting in its own right, proves to the viewer the sheer amount of structure and mechanisms behind the brand’s traditionally sculptural wear. It is an unexpected, but very much appreciated runway surprise.
Once the cartoonish shoulders disappear, Viktor and Rolf start betting on a more feminine flair, and the masculine “V” shape of the collars exhibited so far shrinks into ruffles. Curvy, open, closed, tall, and big: there is a countless variety of ways in which the previously very masculine fit now feels delicately feminine.
This section of the runway, once again, is dominated by stripes, this time thick and in shades of white, pink, beige and navy. The final lot of outfits of the collection are all plays on traditional suits. Much like everything else Viktor and Rolf are showcasing on the Haute Couture runway, their black and white fracs adapted to avant-garde tailoring.
Gender, shape and silhouettes were all factors at play in the couture collection. Transformation too, as the very designers themselves showcased mid-runway. This is an innovative sneak peek, a show which has already captured the attention of many on social media if anything because of its performance interlude, comical proportions and sculptural pieces.