Death is a deeply personal experience, yet an egalitarian and unifying experience. The act of mourning has the power to bring people together and turn even the most agnostic into spiritual sharers.
It was this idea that intrigued Jingwei Yin of Oude Waag this season. As a Buddhist, Yoon had never experienced a Christian burial until a member of his partner’s family died. “I was blown away by this spiritual energy,” the designer said. “I had never experienced anything like this because in China people avoid talking about death and funerals.” Yin found that the experience was valuable in fostering connections between people. Have a positive effect. This became key to his collection, although it was not death that fascinated him but the cultural perspective on it.
The entire process begins and ends with a parade of black dresses. Rather than setting a somber tone, the first collections combined Yin’s unique sensuality with light yet precise tailoring. The stretchy puff-hem little black dress was undoubtedly a commercial hit, but the final look was the most special: flowing chiffons and delicate, lightweight knits diagonally cut across the body, or pleated into pieces held in place by metallic embellishments. panels together. One of the dresses was worn under a short jacket, whose lapels spread out from the body, criss-crossed, and met at the nape of the neck. Another piece featured a veil on the bodice, hanging from an S-shaped diagonal seam to wrap around the model’s head (the hood was not a Christian burial garment); a subsequent style featured vertical chiffon The panels are cut, all threaded with silver beads (a reference to the way Chinese royals were wrapped in jade after death). A deceptively simple black maxi dress featured swirling ribbed lines (a bit like Egyptian sarcophagus carvings) to contour the body, and the final bomber jacket mimicked the pleats, rather than the lapels, of other pieces in the collection.
Yin’s design language is befitting a Western celebrity (time to call, stylists). His revealing cuts balance sex appeal with glamour. The real development of the collection, however, was seeing designers focus on the body beyond just exposing it. His carefully crafted jumpsuits are sure to sell as novelty swimsuits, but consider the way Yoon uses twists and ease to incorporate unconventional volume into his silhouettes: The skirts are cut wide at the waist and can be folded away , so it looks roomier, while the jacket bodice is knotted in the center, adding tremor and weight to the otherwise simple silhouette.
Fashion shows in Shanghai often have too many looks, or there is a sense of imbalance between show looks and commercial purposes. It’s Yin’s reliance on his technical skills, rather than heavy narrative or gimmicks, that makes him stand out and makes this show a celebration rather than a wake.
