Danish fairy tales collided with the American Dream when Hillary Taymour presented a capsule Collina Strada collection in front of the Opera house in Copenhagen. The opportunity to do so was the result of a collaboration between CPHFW and the Climate Pledge, of which Taymour is a signator.
Championing the environment in a polluting industry is serious work, but one of the most persuasive arguments for creating more responsibly is to show how much beauty can be whipped together from what already exists. “Everything we made is from fabrics that were just in the studio already, so nothing is a new thing,” Taymour explained on a walk-through.
Developing this Copenhagen collection reveals what Taymour’s unfettered imagination can dream up—clothes of pure magic. The designer was able to luxuriate in craft and indulge her most fantastical whims in developing this capsule which exists outside of seasons and sales. “The crazy thing about Collina is that everything that’s shown is available for sale, so I don’t really get to make stuff that’s completely absurd like this that you can’t ever make again—or you could, but it wouldn’t be a Collina price point,” the designer explained. It’s not only dollars and cents that can be restraints, some things Taymour wanted to explore, she explained, “were too delicate in a way where you’re not going to notice it. Given the chance, she continued, “I added all the delicateness to be like, ‘Well here it is, in one vomit of delicateness.’ ”
There were any number of tour de forces in this offering, which included a dress made using 18 different materials. Others had hand-tucked details and unimaginable intricacies and scrumptious decorations. Some pieces took months to make, but almost everything felt flowy and ethereal. A few tops with rounded shoulders made of mille-feuille strips of fabric had a medieval air, but overall there was a strong feeling of the rococo on display and in the designer’s more-is-more approach to the fashion and beauty.
Covered in biodegradable glitter, models’ hair twinkled with tinsel. Given the surrounding water and wind, the sheer floaty fabrics evoked not only the 18th century, but the Little Mermaid. Flowers could be read as sea urchins, tinsel and streamers as strands of seaweed. Unlike the tragic heroine of Han Christian Andersen’s story who becomes mute for love, Taymour uses her voice to advocate in favour of climate protection. A greener future is a happy ending to aim for.
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