frumpy to funky: Corrie Nielsen SS13 Collection

Titled ‘Florilegium’ and inspired by flora and fauna, Corrie Nielsen’s SS13 collection shows her designer talents are in full bloom and thriving.

Although the literal meaning is ‘the gathering of flowers’ Florilegium refers to the medieval botanical books that recorded and accurately illustrated flowers.

Through her signature sculpted and elaborate tailoring, Nielsen recreates petals, sepals, stamens and anthers in the form of ruffles, peplums and large loose tie-necks.

Here, metallic silk is shaped around the entire body as a giant all-encompassing peony rose.

Sleeves varied from the wide bulbous to slit like pods keeping the arms held securely to the side.

The colour palette is delicate with light shades of vanilla, ivory and blush pinks.

Her main inspiration was that of Kew Gardens. Not just the plants but also the glass house architecture as she flips Kew’s Victorian Palm House inside out with folds of leaves wrapping around a transparent glass like bodice.

Nielsen was also inspired by computer graphics artist Makoto Mutayama’s botanical blueprints where he sketches the inner cavity of a flower and then creates in 3D digital.

Couture headwear continued the floral theme with milliner Emma Yeo showcasing her SS13 ‘Lucidus Lilum’ collection. Each headpiece was inspired by the petal of the Japanese Mountain Lily (Lilium Auratum) and was constructed to emulate the lucidity and purity of botanical linear illustrations.

Fabrics used are translucent frosted plastics (to illustrate shadows and highlights), taffeta and Yeo’s signature laser cut wood bonded with soft blush pink and dusty grey silks.

www.emmayeo.com

For the finale, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is played out in the avant-garde dip dye wedding dress. Large sculpted petals in a gradient of grey are rib boned at the waist and followed by a trailing swathe of finely layered ivory silk.

Emma Yeo’s headpiece is softened with large dip dyed grey taffeta petals embellished with a light scattering of Swarovski crystals mimicking dewdrops.

Most wearable pieces were: