Endless layers of tulle, voluminous mille-feuille skirts, accentuated waists and embellishments upon embellishments  – it is hard not to imagine Kirstin Dunst nibbling on a macaron in Sofia Coppola’s candy-colored Marie Antoinette while getting swept up in the creations of Viktor & Rolf. In an imagination of utmost femininity, the gowns seem plucked out of a Boucher painting; each piece of tulle, individual chrystal and tiny bow is painted into reality with a pointed precision and in an equally dreamy color palette of pastel lavenders, baby blues and soft pinks. And yet, through the delicacy and the romance and the extravagance, the collection artistically manipulates the very idea of haute couture, creating a dreamscape turned surreal exploration as dresses take on lives of their own. 

Amongst a parade of princess-like designs, Viktor & Rolf’s gowns have a mind of their own, breaking free from and floating alongside the models that should be wearing them. Some even defy gravity, the tulle pieces floating diagonally across their models, exposing the rigid, sculpted corsets beneath. Almost reminiscent of doll clothing, the off-shouldered, draped ivory bodice flows into a honeycomb-structured smocking that leads way to a tulle skirt while a moonlight silver tiered-tulle gown seems to hang in the air as if by magic. In perhaps the most impressive feat, one model makes their way down the runway in – or should I say, under – a light cornflower blue ball gown with degrade ruffles and a perfectly placed silk bow that floats perfectly upside down.

A sage gown, the waist emphasized by a lilac ribbon, walks in front of a model who wears the same corset undergarments, appearing to trail behind the independent garment in an optical illusion. A purple piece embellished with pastel green bows that encircle the bodice is juxtaposed against another model’s corset, appearing as though the gown has glitched in its attempt at escaping being worn. In an equally eerie design, a lilac mini-dress seems to open into a black hole, as if the top of the gown has been severed and we can see through both the gown and the model. Crafted in collaboration with Hans Boodt Mannequins, these 3D-printed constructions evoke a sense of absurdity, both literally and figuratively turning the idea of haute couture on its head. 

Evocative of the grandiose atmosphere of the mid-20th century,  the gowns that remain securely attached to their models act as the anchor to reality – one that defines these very gowns as the pinnacle of fashion. Viktor & Rolf challenge this in their artistic manipulation, pushing back against what is considered to be defined as haute couture, visualizing the sense of alienation the collection’s title – Late Stage Capitalism Waltz – refers to. It is through this that their parade of delicate tulle evolves into a surreal march of absurdism, creating a collection equal parts imaginative, surprising and bewildering.