The Opening Ceremony Autumn Winter 2014 runway show. Credit: Getty Images
What: Opening Ceremony Autumn Winter 2014
The setup: Carol Lim and Humberto Leon brought Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory to life by handing out chocolate bars before the Opening Ceremony show. Just like in Roald Dahl’s famous story, the guests who found the two golden tickets hidden among the bars won Opening Ceremony-designed Intel bracelets. On one side of the runway, 2,000 pounds of Belgian chocolate poured down a white wall, filling the space with the aroma of cocoa.
Inspiration: Antwerp folklore and architecture
The looks: The Belgian myth about a giant who guarded a bridge and cut off the hand of those who didn’t pay the toll, giving rise to the legend that the name “Antwerp” was based on the Dutch term “hand-thrown” fueled Lim and Leon’s vision for Autumn Winter 2014. Patterns of severed hands and fingerprint prints were featured all over the garments. The duo has been known to take prints to great heights – just look at Kenzo.
The collection had a more mature look than their car-inspired Spring Summer 2014 offering with decidedly more grown up coats. Some pinks and blues broke up the somber darker colour palette. But OC’s signature jaunty style was still evident in the A-line voluminous matching tops and skirts. Plus, there was a street reference in the quilted (puffer) jackets.
The pair also took on asymmetry with quilted kilts layered over longer skirts that revealed more of one leg. Although their slit and slash treatment could be a bit of a concern – the horizontal slits made the skirts appear as though they were on the verge of falling down.
For more information, go to www.openingceremony.us/. Follow the brand on Facebook at www.facebook.com/openingceremony, Twitter @openingceremony and Instagram @openingceremony. Opening Ceremony is available at Club 21b, #01-07/08/09 Forum The Shopping Mall.