The Belgian designer Bruno Pieters presented his new collection Thursday in a room on the top floor of the Musée de l’Homme. It was a show of jackets, skirts and sheaths which showcased the unforgiving geometry for which Pieters has become known.
The models stepped out to a modern soundtrack of buzzing, beeping and wailing, their faces painted white, lips a deep red, hair pulled back into simple buns.
Pieters loves the shoulder, and the shoulders of his jackets were intricately constructed, almost robotic; however, they were less exaggerated than those we have seen from other designers this season. Panels of fabric jutted out from the front of a skirt and ran down the arms of a jacket, resembling blades. Others included wide panels across the chest, seeming to imprison the models within their heavy black coats.
Some looks included stiff hoods which rose from the jacket’s shoulders, framing the model’s face and lending the show a cloistered feeling. There certainly was a lot of black, as usual, but this time Pieters lightened his palette with a run of ensembles in a metallic gold fabric and some tan coats.
One might mistake Pieters for a minimalist, but though the lines of his clothes are certainly severe this is not minimalism. Instead, his aesthetic is simultaneously repressed and jagged, delighting in angular lines and an atmosphere of buttoned-up repression. I’m not sure who the Bruno Pieters woman is, but I can only imagine that she lives in a convent and reads a lot of science fiction.
The only hints of softness in the show came in the form of fur running down the arms of a series of black and grey jackets. They were also among the most appealing pieces, balancing the severity of Pieter’s geometry with a comforting touch of posh.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
