The NYLA Report - The NYLA Report

photo credit: Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard

A night at the opera–that is Vivienne Tam. The brilliant designer claims she was inspired by multiple, famous operas throughout China for this collection, including the Kun Opera and Guangzhou Opera House. Balancing new and old, ancient and modern, Vivienne Tam’s winter line embodied elaborate elegance stemming from traditional operatic costumes.

Fantasy turned real life with everyday wear looks. Tweed, wool, silk and lace were all used to capture a mysteriously fervent feeling. The color mood was definitely dark. Although there were some light variations of blues, creams and reds, for the most part blacks and grays stole the show.

Night and day ensembles were equally stunning, as we saw Tam’s eminent ability to experiment with shape. Silhouettes were refreshingly diverse and innovative. We saw graceful water sleeves, opera-cape shoulders and interpretations of pagodas. Dragon, wind, fire and cloud motifs were also used to extenuate various garments.

Tam designed dresses and tops with intricate detail in mind. She ventured beyond basic norms of embellishments and truly showed us that tassels, fringe and crochet detail is back. Each element can still be modern and serve as the perfect finishing touch.

To view the full collection, click here.

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