Haider Ackermann Womenswear S/S11

Haider Ackermann envisioned a girl that was coming out of the shadows and likewise, with each season, Ackermann himself is gaining growing attention that - with his latest S/S11 collection - just revved up to a whole other level. It started with a further commitment to the moto/perfecto jacket elements that Ackermann has touched on before as leather waistcoats hugged the body in varying deconstructed methods. Tuxedo lapels appeared in several instances, often reduced so that the lapel was the main structure and everything else flowed from it, baring evocative expanses of flesh, which went part and parcel with the general game of undress and reveal that Ackermann played so well.  

The influences of the kimono, also seen in his beautifully presented resort collection in Florence's Palazzo Corsini, further refined here as robes were seen to be slipping off the shoulders. Colourwise, this graphic take on the kimono gowns were punctuated with flashes of jewel-like tones of blue, green, red and yellow. The obi knot was given structure with knots and bows at the back that had a life of their own. The faded and distressed thick 'carpet' fabrics were worked into sharp jackets and biker trousers. These same trousers in leather were given a decadent touch with a long flowing skirt wrapped over. It was a consolidation of motifs that Ackermann has used in the past, as his work is always an evolution but there was an elation coursing through the collection (and the audience) as a deft and confident combination of all the aforementioned elements above coming together in perfect synergy, and leaving us awestruck by what we saw. 

Dazed Digital: How did you push those elements that you used in your resort collection in the one you've just shown?
Haider Ackermann: With my work, there's always a continuation of everything and I continue to express the way I did before. It's never like a new story. I just wanted to keep that decadence alive - so we used fading fabrics.

DD: Where did the colour palette of brights come from?
Haider Ackermann: I just wanted my girl to come out of the shadows. She needs some brightness. She's not using words to express something but by actions and gestures.

DD: How did you then balance those more opulent elements with the moto/perfecto leather parts?
Haider Ackermann: They [Moto leather] have always been there - it's just a continuation. I don't know how I did it. It was just all there in the show...