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Flower Power

Stephane Cheung's peony pavilion fashion show - By Melanie, Jul 14, 08

Wujiaochang art space is a 50rmb cab ride from Hengshan Lu. It is also the location where models draped in so-called "ready-to-wear" peony-flower inspired fashions strutted down the catwalk to the delight of approximately 150 members of the local population and a lone laowei this past Saturday night.

The title of the show, Peony Pavilion, does not refer to the multi-functional free-standing cube hall in the courtyard of 800 Wujiaochang where the leggy ones struck their poses. Stephane Cheung's Autumn/Winter collection is named after a 16th century Chinese opera during which a young girl sleeping in a garden dreams of a lover she's never met. Upon waking to dull reality she withers away and dies.

This Frank Gehry inspired hall including a stage and capacity to seat a couple hundred is a truly unique space. Wooden slats constructed in series of three-dimensional hexagons make up the four walls and ceiling. Concaving and convexing in infinitude, the walls themselves are an installation work. In various spots slats of wood are exchanged for gentle beams of light that glowing through plastic casing.

Absent from this catwalk was the heroin-chic, Gia-style train wreck. As far as this fashion critic is concerned all models should be opiate-addicted waifs. Although these ladies appeared healthy, seductive they were not.

The 40 plus designs inspired by the aforementioned Ming dynasty opera and China's floral symbol ushered vegetation into the realm of high fashion. Many of the models donned corset-style tops, cinching their healthy-sized torsos into painful contortions. High-waisted Capri pants sprouted leaf-like petals of fabric that grew as far north as the bust area - creating women that resembled unfurling bean sprouts.

Mr. Cheung's fashion opinions for the fall/winter season: As far as the color palate - per usual black is in. The majority of the outfits were neutral, wintry shades of gray and beige although the occasional hot pink jacket and ice blue dress did make the cut. Poofy white dresses that terminate at the butt cheek crevice offset by sheer black stockings and patent leather pumps are also in. Pants and dresses lined with exceptionally large pockets into which the models shoved balled up fists as they swaggered through the hall are all the rage. Many design aspects were purely aesthetic – long flowing ribbons with no function trailed from dresses and tops.

From starting 40 minutes late, to the slew of photographers, Peony Pavilion proved a more or less professional fashion show. Models' exits and entrances were precision timed, while artistic lighting and heavy-bass music set the atmosphere. All the models were able to "turn left," although some of the ladies exhibited more adept gaits than others. And, from my seat hovering near backstage I witnessed the models burst into giggles as soon as they completed their turn on the catwalk.

Check out the website here and the Chinese-language blog here.

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