Scene setting: Richard Artschwager, Geta Brătescu, Alexander Girard, Egon Schiele, artists are a long time inspiration to Albert Kriemler. So it was fitting that for Akris’ A/W 2020 runway show, the creative director of the Swiss maison took guests to a gallery space in the museum of modern art, lined with huge artworks by Robert Delaunay, Georges Braque and Pierre Chareau. The colourful orphist aesthetic of Sonia and Robert Delaunay was of particular inspiration to the designer, alongside the modernist output of architect and designer Robert Mallet-Stevens, who famously designed Villa Noailles, the art-filled home of the Hyères Festival of Photography and Fashion.
Mood board: Cubist prints, in black and white or rusty tones were tessellated across fluid silk shirts and loose trousers, or double-breasted suits constructed from an unusual silk devore velvet blend, with a glittering brushstroke finish. Houndsooth capes had an elegant, graphic appeal, tailoring imagined in midnight blue leather or a sea of sparkling sequins and long lace dresses given an orphist updated with squares of patchwork silk.
Finishing touches: From Valentino to Versace, brands have given eveningwear a modern, rebellious twist by pairing dresses with stompy boots. Akris too got in on the act, teaming fluid lace gowns, with wet-look thigh-high boots. §
