A question of life & death
"Life and death are never just religious or philosophical thoughts, it is also a domain witch artists never stop exploring and expressing. Approaching middle-age, life and death are no longer just poetry chants. With the loss of beloved ones, you wonder what it will be like when the journey ends. Since death is inevitable, I prefer to imagine it as a dream, an alternate universe parallel to this world, where everything returns to its original state of true pureness and beauty. It is the start of a mysterious journey."...Guo Pei
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There couldn't be a better choice for the frame of Guo Pei's autumn-winter 2020 collection that the Beaux Arts de Paris. The eclectic Cour Vitrée, impregnated with its divers cultural sources, was vibrating under the slowly moving outer-worldly creatures. Angels and devils, gods, beasts and spectres appear to us in a slow motion, the alternate univers Guo Pei opened a door into. This eternal question comes with its own history. From Esopo's fables, to antique legends, through the gothic christian era till the baroque flamboyance, we travel free of a time line, liberated of space. Shapes and colours, goblins, insects, forbidden fruits, monkeys and books come in a dreamy vision.
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Her signature, the three dimensional embroidery, is here a spectacular story telling tool. Adorned by Swarovski crystals, silk and radiant pearls, the illustrative embroideries pose on the structured pineapple hemp fabrics. Light yet so strong, this 400 years old knowhow demands many steps till it becomes haute couture material.
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This creatures walked a path of sand, reminding us all can disappear in a glimpse. Symbol of the passing time, sand is one of the strongest vanity elements. And they stepped through a portal guarded by ravens, messagers of magic and mystery, brilliant destiny negotiators. We could also see the spiders in her embroideries, masters of webs, tokens of an evolutionary passage. .
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We can take each dress and write a novel analysing its elements and craft. Hours of detailed work, hours of refined symbolism. Guo Pei is always an invitation to travel in a resplendent universe, wearing her gowns is closer to a cinematographic experience that fashion. Her codes are not seasonal, the story they depict project you in a corner of your soul and open a door to eternity.
By Alexandra Mas
To find out more about the artist and her inspirations follow her @alexandramas_artist
