Frequently inspired by modern and contemporary artists, Albert Kriemler instead settled on the early Renaissance period for his spring Akris collection, dovetailing from a John Neumeier ballet he recently costumed in Hamburg, all the hues deriving from Italian painter Piero della Francesca.
“What came out was an exquisitely new color palette, and probably one of my most modern ballets,” Kriemler related during a preview at Akris’ showroom in Paris.
For the spring collection, he challenged himself to marry the pale palette of Andrea Mantegna’s frescoes to light and airy constructions for the warming planet. Indeed, he found a range of new fabrics that are as functional as they are beautiful, such as the swatch of woven raffia, cool and slippery to the touch, that came paper-clipped to the show invitation, or the waterproof organza and coated linen for raincoats you can wear two ways.
Kriemler even discovered a “techno tulle” at a sporting goods fabric fair in Munich that’s usually used to line performance outerwear. He confessed that he has largely avoided synthetic fabrics until now, finally impressed with the durability and luxury hand of ultra-fine blends.
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Here were myriad ways to wear sheer fabrics and mesh without causing a spectacle, an achievement especially under the bright runway lights.
A sporty vibe came through as women strode under the vaulted, Gothic ceiling of the refectory at the Collège des Bernardins.
Kriemler kept shapes simple — T-shirts, varsity jackets, blousons, trenchcoats, sheaths and pantsuits — to exalt his superb fabrics, including silk georgette he’s used for decades, or multiple layers of the techno tulle, which flows in a unique manner and creates optical patterns as the light hits it.
There were no tutus here, but a balletic grace came through. Incidentally, when Kriemler costumes dancers, his only condition is using his own fabrics. Not surprisingly, after their performances, many dancers ask if they can take the clothes home.
