BACKSTAGE AT Y/PROJECT SPRING-SUMMER 2017 PARIS

By Crash redaction

Y/PROJECT SS17: A BACKSTAGE STORY

The Y/Project spring-summer 2017 show opened on Carmina Burana’s first notes before changing altogether for a laid-back soundtrack. The first silhouettes show Glenn Martens’ signature pieces: studded flat-paneled denim trousers. Always with a deconstructed aesthetic, the designer went for a much more feminine approach this season. His extra-short minidresses didn’t go unnoticed, but what strikes the most are the exaggerated ruffles and reworked, flowing sleeves. They exude a delicacy that only Martens knows how to achieve. Most of the silhouettes are utterly feminine: fluid dresses are belted, legs are showing glamorous heels at their feet, and the constant use of pearls either as choker necklaces or dresses’ straps add on to this exquisite feminine vision. It’s an emancipated woman Martens presents here, still with his own genius spin. The key pieces of the collection are most certainly the corsets: deconstructed and reconstructed using classic striped shirt references, they create an enveloping structure revealing a woman’s most feminine features – her shoulders. Fabrics feel exquisite, especially the emerald green and purple velvet, which presence grows as the collection goes. The overall silhouette is thought like a dialogue between every piece of each look: they create patterns and textures of their own that are unique, like a two-piece top where a recurrent spiral motif (also replicated as incredible earrings traveling around the ear) recreates a heart’s shape on an emerald green, velvet base. In the same spirit, bomber jackets are worn tucked in the trousers, and sweaters worn underneath peek through the sleeves. The last looks are just glorious and show Martens incredible sensibility, craftsmanship and creativity, and the last silhouette – a shiny gold velvet dress – closes a collection that is a true coup de maître.

www.yproject.fr

Photography: Clément Louis for Crash