The main story at Gauchere this spring was transformation. Designer Marie-Christine Statz said she’d thought about metamorphosis, which she characterized as “these opposites, these floating moments.”
In a bid to express the full potential of her clothes, she tapped choreographer Benjamin Millepied to show her spring collection in motion. They had worked together on a number of projects, including costumes for “Grace, Jeff Buckley Dances,” a ballet he based on the life of the late American musician.
On a quartet of dancers, the graphic tailoring that is Statz’s forte moved handsomely as they twisted around. Jersey, crepe and whisper thin nylon cleaved to the body; Japanese denim and leather – faux and otherwise – added drama to simple gestures.
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As is her wont, the designer added visual intrigue – and the odd flashes of skin – through assymetries built into the garments or created on the fly through cannily placed multiple buttons, snaps or lacing.
To wit: a blazer alternated between softly boxy and sculptural depending on where it was buttoned.
Backstage, she said she’d concentrated on 15 looks from a larger collection. While sized for a 10-minute performance, this abstract left an impression of unfinished.
