Fall 2018 Haute Couture: Rami Kadi Favours Androgyny

For his Fall/Winter 2018, Rami Kadi reimagined men’s tailoring, making it louder and more glamorous for women as the designer sought to explore androgynous designs.

Inspired by the Aztec deity Ometeotl who was thought to be both male and female, the collection explores duality, thus waistcoats became corsets and the edgy cuts of men’s blazers and shirts collided with the smooth cuts of dresses.

Suit styles dominated with flaps, pockets and collars complemented by bold accessories. The collection offered a rainbow of colours with graphic patterns, a signature style for the Lebanese designer who used houndstooth, checks, tweed and plaid patterns but reinvented them with the incorporation of new materials such as aluminium foil, laser cut 3D effect holographic sequins, bullet metal casings and plastic.

The collection included a fun aluminium silver foil printed organza short dress with a hoodie top embellished with sequins, a tailleur dress with a highlighted embroidered neckline and pockets and a black Pied-De-Coq embellished shirt with a holographic laser-cut bustier. But there were also plenty of funky ball gowns with metallic broquard embellished with crystals, sequins and raffia, or embellished with laser-cut mirrors, sequins and beads.

The bridal gown stood out with its iridescent squares peeking through white ostrich feathers.