Peet Dullaert pushed the boundaries of beauty with a couture collection anchored in athleticwear.
The Dutch designer always revels in the philosophical questions, and mused on the meaning of couture when approaching his third collection on the official calendar.
He answered with handcrafted athleticwear — biker shorts, zip jackets and leotards — flesh-colored and neutral, studded with jewels and overlaid with simple, low-slung beaded skirts.
Dullaert’s work often takes twists and turns, literally, as he gathers fabric around the body and writhes it into unusual shapes and dimensions. With the first looks of athleticwear, his lines were clean, slim and slightly confrontational. He chose the material to emphasize that couture is about craft, not textile, and that it should reflect inner strength and modern movement.
“I’m trying to see how I could merge the idea of the old world and the new one,” he said backstage. “And also define new silhouettes. I’m reversing that idea of the volume, [taking] the construction and applying it on the inside.”
In the world of workout clothes everywhere, it’s an idea worth exploring.
Athleticwear and its fabric also served as the foundation for gowns, peeking out under a delicate lace frock, and as the asymmetric base of a beaded black number that bridged to Dullaert’s more classic looks as his girl got dressed up again.
Suiting was in relaxed plissé or more structured with an exaggerated lapel, and a men’s coat was structured and single-breasted. An ice blue velvet column swirled up and around the arm, a bit Grecian.
Necklines twisted at the clavicle or extruded at the shoulder for drama on silk pieces, and he added subtle crystal detailing to serpentine gowns.
In the stripped-down open space of L’Institut néerlandais, models walked to various voices drumming the Dylan Thomas poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.” By stripping down his construction only to build it back up again, Dullaert showed he is guided by his inner light.
