Huishan Zhang’s debut presentation was extremely refined, with its exquisite silks and organzas beautifully adorned by stamp-like prints and embroideries. These ‘fineries’ came from the Chinese heritage of the designer, with shapes and colours evoking patterned lace, ancient birds, pagodas and mahjong tiles – as much as this was true, however, there was also a Dutch feeling in the blue and white porcelain-like décors, reminding of traditional Delft pottery.

The spirit of these tin-glazed artefacts was brought to life by the rhythmical placement of the adornments and the very simple colour palette. These clothes do not belong to your grand-mother’s dinnerware collection, however: they were modernized by an extremely expressive make-up, light green, turquoise and terracotta blush reviving the models’ faces, as well as pins becoming textures of dresses and jewellery. 

The asymmetrical necklines broke the symmetry of the dresses, giving an edgy twist to Zhang’s elegant designs. These are creations for ingénues, young women trying to preserve their (staged?) innocence with an appropriate wardrobe.

Refinement rhymes with microscopical details, multiple tiny paintings embedded within white or blue silks. The final pieces, covered in seemingly agressive pins, were in fact backless gowns following the purest Dior aesthetic – where (and it comes as no surprise), Zhang actually worked.

Photos Isa Jakob