Salon Kitty Comes to Paris

I had the pleasure of attending the Talbot Runhof show during Paris fashion week (yes, this review is a bit late!) from Munich-based Johnny Talbot and Adrian Runhof. The duo drew upon a provocative historical reference point for their glamourous and smart fall 2009 collection - a place called Salon Kitty in 1939 Berlin.

Salon Kitty was the only brothel allowed to remain during secret service efforts "to rid the city of all immoral and unacceptable behaviour." Its purpose was two-fold: to continue with its usual business as well as serve as an espionage apparatus for the government. And what this place bore against the backdrop of a bleak and bland Berlin was an erotic haven of "beauty, glamour, and elegance where patrons were seduced into revealing their deepest, darkest secrets."

As the models emerged, my heart started beating very fast - the late 1930s is my most beloved style era and its best elements were on parade, updated yet true to that which makes the look so appealing: the focus on the waist; soft, broad shoulders and narrow hips, accessories such as the military cap and crystal brooches; and side-parted, long and sleek Veronica Lake hair. The one thing that's very au courant is the shoes. Admittedly, I didn't even notice the shoes at the show, I was too fixated on the dresses and the hair! It wasn't until I was reviewing my photos that I saw them. They are LaRare for Talbot Runhof and they are KILLER. I wish I had some close-up shots but you can get a good look in some of the photos and see LaRare's main collections on their website.

The photos from the show and backstage (love those! see in follow-up post) speak for themselves, but I feel I have to defend the collection, or two looks from it, before leaving you to it. The collection was reviewed, quite briefly, by WWD (anonymous, they only refer to reviewers as 'staff') and while high praise was meted out for two of the dresses, another couple were coldly referred to as "those kitschy sequin numbers embroidered with fake stones." Gasp! When I read that I said aloud 'WHAT?? What dresses is she (assuming 'she') talking about??' I actually felt hurt, I loved that entire collection so much. (No thick skin here, thank you very much, I'll hang on to my sensitivity.) So I went through my photos and figured out that one of those so-called 'kitschy numbers' was one of my favourites! The silhouette was stunning, especially from the back, and the mix of sequins with large crystal stone embellishments of ruby, aurora borealis, white and creamy pink topped off with floaty black chiffon first struck me as a playful and fun alternative to the serious evening gown. When the model walked by the two women next to me gasped (as did I) and whispered "That is the piece of the collection." So take it in stride meine Freunde, your girls looked stunning. Anyone would have given up their secrets - and anything else - to them.

Those shoes!




 


The print on these dresses was made by photographing a
typical houndstooth, distorting the image and printing it
using ink-jet technology on stretch wool and silk mousseline









Here's video of the finale. One thing I will suggest to Johnny and Adrian is that their clothes deserve a big show for spring 2010 - for the ambiance and so the looks have a better backdrop than a drab concrete wall! Still, it was a gorgeous show and I find myself looking at my photos again and again. True love.