Helmut Lang cropped stretch leather leggings.Merlin Spie's "La petite musette, casquée (2002)", the inspiration behind the Helmut Lang Stain Print chiffon topHelmut Lang cropped stretch leather leggings, zipper detailHelmut Lang Inferno Print, seams draw the eye inHelmut Lang Skull Print dressHelmut Lang Skull Print dress
While you may have seen Helmut Lang designs on Beyonce or Blake Lively it's not often that we associate Helmut Lang with the word PRINT. Recently I had the privilege of spending about 20 minutes with Helmut Lang's designers Michael and Nicole Colovos to figure out what the inspiration was behind a few pieces in their collection.
In the first photo, Celia is wearing a red chiffon top inspired by Belgian performance artist Merlin Spie's "La petite musette, casquée (2002)" In that image above, the person is facing a wall and breathing with the assistance of special diving head gear; yet, she has a cigarette in her right hand. It all symbolizes the passing of time. Michael mentioned how images like this help him recognize his mortality and inspire him to live and embrace life to the fullest. The seams on the back bring the eye in and the nude colors help soften the profoundness of the variant hues of reds. It's instances like these, where you get to sit with the designers, that you are filled with a passion and reverence for their art.
You also see that Celia is wearing the cropped "strech leather leggings". The seams on these were designed to "bring the eye in" with their "sinewy" and "architectural" weaves. They have some really cool zippers in the back too right above the ankles. I imagine you could have some fun playing with those. Some models I've talked that were wearing Helmut Lang mentioned how comfortable the strech leather pants were, an express goal of the Coloveses when they designed them.
The Skull Print dress actually obtains it's initial inspiration from X-rays and pictures from various medical journals. The result is an abstract collage, fine tuned to add a special color element that breaks the color down. It's not black, it's not white, and it doesn't have strips of colors either. The textured shades of grey (or red in the Inferno Print) result in a distinctive mood that's enhanced by the softness of the fabric it's made out of. Instead of being straight down, there are gatherings of fabric around the waistline, draping the body in beautiful curves where curves are wanted. It's made out of 2 light layers, the inner layer holding the outer layer's gatherings in place.
I think I left the Helmut Lang studio on cloud 9 as my depth of appreciation for their labor of love was awakened. This is just the first in a 2 part series, so stay tuned for more!