Spring 2015 Haute Couture: Yiqing Yin's Complex Simplicity

Tribal and primitive art, in particular tattoos, as well as the way traditional clothes are often naturally wrapped around a body, these were the starting points for the Spring/Summer 2015 Couture Collection of Yiqing Yin, a collection more fluid than usual for the designer, though still highly constructed. There was an air of casual nonchalance as if a skirt or a top had been tied around the body, carefree. Yet the designer was quick to point out there was nothing simple or easy about that casualness.

“There is still architecture, but an architecture which is just about to break. There is something in the research of balance and unbalance, and also the meeting points of different codes, even from masculine tailoring and then the grand flou, the draping, everything merges together into something that is a bit more abstract,” the designer told Blouin Lifestyle after the presentation.

“It’s more fluid, more natural, as if it has flown onto the body very nonchalantly; but actually it’s not, it’s a lot more complicated in terms of construction than I usually do, but you can’t see it and that was the challenge,” she added. “Sometimes the most simple effect can be most difficult to achieve.”

Using primarily a palette of gray, from pearly to anthracite, the designer sought to focus attention on form and textiles, using liquid silk and alpaca generously and she put the body firmly at the center of her designs with “no device, no corset, no false answers, no pretense.” And as the program note stated: “This collection is about breathing.”

The tattoo inspiration could be seen in a sheer pantsuit entirely recovered in dévoré velvet patterns.

The designer offered plenty of cocoon-like daywear, while cocktail wear included short dresses using a layering of light fabrics to create a moiré effect. Most effective, and design-forward was an off-center tie-like knot around the neck on blouses or a dresses.